No One Left Behind
by Phildozer
Summary: As Commander John Shepard is leaving London he comes across a squad of twenty first century soldiers in cryo-sleep. After being awoken and brought on to the Normandy, Shepard must wonder if they can adjust to their new world? Do they want to? But most of all, can he trust them?
1. Out of the Frying Pan

**A/N: Well I'm back with another new story, hope you all enjoy. For those of you wondering, Runa is on Hiatus until further notice. **

**July 22, 2016 2:16 a.m. London, England**

Captain Sam Thornton led his squad up to the side of the warehouse. He had his team stack up on the sides of the door, Naomi Vasquez, Marcus Griffin, and Sven Burke on the right and Mackenzie Singletery and Patel al-Shazir on the left. Sam stood in front with his point man, Damian Graves, the night shrouding them in darkness. Their Night vision goggles the only thing allowing them sight. He called out on coms.

"Rose, you see anything from your vantage point, over?" A response came a short time later.

"Negative boss, it's dead out here, moving up to your position. Over." With a nod, Damian slowly opened the door, and Sam trained his rifle ahead. He moved in slowly, followed by his team into the facility. The large space was filled with clutter, boxes strewn about every which way. A stairway on the far side led down into the basement. They checked their corners, spying nothing they moved as one, eyes always moving with their weapons. The stairs led down into more darkness. The facility was silent, not even the hum of machinery or the chirp of insects. Downstairs they found a few more computers, Sam nodded to Patel who took out a laptop and hooked up into the mainframe, he mined the data as the rest of the team began to explore the dark room. Damian spoke.

"Sam, this place is dead, is command sure this is the right place?" Sam nodded.

"There's gotta be something here, keep looking. Patel, scrounge up anything you can find, we're not going back empty handed." The team nodded and hunted. After several minutes of searching, Marcus shouted out.

"Got something!" He was running his hand along the wall, where a faint line could be seen. "Seems like this is sealed off from the rest, should be able to blow it boss." Sam nodded and stepped back, putting up a hand and extending a finger, telling the team to regroup on him. Marcus placed the charges as Patel packed up the laptop after extracting as much info as possible. The charges were set and Marcus got back to a safe spot. Sam trained his rifle on the door and the team followed his lead. Marcus blew the door, nearly deafening everyone in the room. They ignored the ringing and pushed up. A room sat behind the wall, lit with walkway lights. Two corpses lay under the rubble, having been killed by the C4 blast. Sam moved up, aiming every step of the way. The path led further down in a winding way. The thudding of footsteps could be heard coming up towards them and they prepared to deal with the threat. A small squad of three had spotted them, weapons in hand. Before they could even move, Sven, Sam, and Patel had sent out nine shots, three for each man and they fell in a heap. The crew sped up their pace, meeting no more resistance. The hall ended in a large room with a massive chamber in the center, consoles ringed it filled with people and guards. The chamber appeared to be glass and vents could be seen on the sides and top. Not wasting any time, Sam, Naomi, and Marcus opened fire, dropping guards quickly and sending staff to the ground. Naomi set up a firing position with her LMG on the left as Sam and Marcus flanked her, putting down suppressive fire. Damian took Mackenzie, Patel, and Sven to the right, laying down heavy fire. Rose mounted her anti-material riffle on a console in the back and picked off stragglers from afar.

The noise was incredible, the hail of gunfire never ending. However, it seemed to end as soon as it started, all the guards lying dead and Sam's team spotless. The remaining staff hid under their desks, only two were left that had not been caught in the crossfire. Patel hacked into the mainframe once again, searching for anything. Finding nothing, he dropped out until he noticed a console inside the chamber. He went in, flanked by the rest of the team. Patel hooked in and was greeted by a large holographic display. He stared in wonder as the machine began powering up. Lights flared and the door they entered slammed shut, sealing them in. They looked to see the two lab techs typing furiously at a console. In a rage, the team began to slam their weapons into the wall, hoping to make some sort of dent. The room began to cool quickly as they shouted louder and smashed harder. However, as the machine became louder, sparks began to fly and the techs were overcome with fear again. The console exploded, killing both techs as Sam and his team still beat on the glass. The world got colder as Damian let loose one final barrage of fury.

"You miserable rotten pathetic sacks of shit, I hope you rot in Hell!" Soon, the cold was overwhelming and then it all went black.

**January 12, 2186 12:16 p.m. London, England**

"Anderson, we need to get to the _Normandy _now!" Anderson nodded and let loose more shots from his Predator pistol. The Reapers had invaded; they'd crushed Earth's defenses in minutes and overwhelmed them just as quickly. John Shepard, born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Earth, joined the Alliance at eighteen, stationed at Elysium only to have it be attacked by Batarians. John Shepard, the man who constantly beat the odds. Having saved the colony nearly by himself, having taken down Saren and Sovereign, having gone through the Omega four relay and returned with his whole crew. John Shepard who had to destroy Bahak to buy more time from the Reaper invasion. The man who had been right all along, only now he was wishing he wasn't. In the end, it hadn't been enough time, London was burning before his eyes. A Reaper beam tore apart the platform they stood on, sending them careening into a pit. Their way blocked off, they hunted for a new direction, Anderson leading the way with Shepard in tow.

They followed a winding path they led down even further. Down the path, they found corpses, hundreds of years old, bones broken and missing. Anderson and Shepard followed the trail of bodies, some with weapons nearby, some with lab coats. Out dated terminals sat lifeless as the bodies but they looked not at them, but at the central chamber which housed eight life forms; eight humans. Soldiers from what Shepard could tell, but their gear had to be hundreds of years old, still using lead bullets and Kevlar body armor. Shepard went to a terminal and fiddled with the controls as Anderson stared at the group.

In front was a tall red headed man, his face a mask of fury and rage. His finger pointed towards the outside. Beside him stood a man with a short mass of chocolate colored hair and captain's bars on his chest slamming his rifle into the wall. A massive middle eastern man was taking aim at the wall with is rifle. A blonde woman helped a dark skinned man slam a rocket launched into the wall while a Hispanic woman and short brunette were pounding away with an LMG. Finally, one man stood with his arms crossed and head shaking as a cigarette sat in his mouth. He was tall and skinny, a marksman's rifle sat against the wall. Shepard spoke.

"Anderson! This is a cryo chamber! But it's ancient, like well below the tech of anything we're capable of now. This is gotta be one hundred and fifty years old, at least." Anderson nodded and tapped one final key. An alarm blared overhead and Anderson and Shepard took cover. They popped out when they saw that the chamber was unfreezing. After a few seconds, expletives and slams were all that could be heard as they carried out their ancient anger. Shepard hit a key and opened the door, the sound hitting both Anderson and Shepard all at once. They stood outside and said nothing. Everything seemed to slow down and they began to move towards the exit. The man with the captain's bars nodded his thanks at them.

"Much appreciated you two." Shepard was about to reply when seven weapons came up and pointed at him and Anderson. "Now you're going to tell me what the fuck is going on. Now!" The man screamed, his rage understandable. Anderson opened his mouth to talk but a massive explosion rocked the ground. The red headed man spoke.

"Sounds like a damn war going on out there." His shotgun never left Shepard's chest. Shepard spoke quickly but firmly.

"There is a damn war going on. The Reapers are back and are going to kill every single one of us if we don't get moving!" This seemed to pique their interests as the Captain spoke once again.

"Reapers? What the hell is a Reaper?" He asked. Shepard started but another explosion sent shockwaves through the ground. Anderson took charge.

"We'll explain later but right now we need to get the hell out of here!" The group looked to their captain who shrugged.

"As soon as we get clear, we're going to talk and I will get answers. Now, lead the way out of this hell hole." They nodded and headed back up the way they came, the rubble had been knocked aside and they moved out as a group of ten. As they moved, the soldiers of Jackknife squad met their first Reaper. They stared in awe before the dark skinned man mumbled

"Oh for fuck's sake." Shepard nodded as they made their way. Suddenly, another Reaper laser sheared through the ground, sending them sprawling in all directions. The laser turned to go in for the kill when the _Normandy _came screaming like a bat out of hell, distracting the Reaper. Its target changed, they made their way forward. Anderson spoke into the coms.

"Williams, what the hell do you think you're doing? Never mind, lose that giant piece of scrap and then meet us at the spaceport, we're on our way." There was a pause as Williams replied. Then Anderson spoke once more. "And thank you LC, you saved our asses. Anderson out." They made their way to the spaceport and came upon a wounded Marine and a medic dressing his wounds. The smell was horrific, charred flesh from a Reaper laser, no matter what the medic did, the man would die. The medic did everything he could, but they watched as the wounded man faded into death. Shepard came up behind the medic.

"You did everything you could soldier, that's all we ask for." The man shook his head.

"It wasn't enough, it won't be enough. We should've listened to you Shepard, god dammit we were so arrogant. We could've pre-" Shepard stopped the man.

"It doesn't matter now; you need to get to those that can still be saved." The man nodded and stood, doing a quick salute before grabbing the fallen Marine's Avenger and hustling back the way they had come. Before he left earshot, Shepard spoke again. "This isn't over you know, we can still win this war. Don't lose hope, don't ever lose hope." The medic nodded again and took off in a sprint. The group rounded a bend and saw Reaper ground troops. They were repulsive, with red and marred skin, four eyes and a face like a Batarian. Shepard wasted no time, putting two shots into the first one's head, Anderson followed suit, putting six shots down range into two more targets. Shepard turned to kill the last target when a metallic BANG! went off twice, the creature fell in a heap and Shepard turned to see the team Captain with his rifle in hand and aimed. The two shared a nod as they made their way forward to a radio that Anderson spoke into, he patched Shepard into the conversation finally.

"_Normandy, _do you read us? We're at the spaceport awaiting extraction right now." There was an explosion and then silence for a second before Ash spoke into the coms.

"We read you, we're en route now. Hold the spaceport and we'll be there when we shake this thing." Anderson nodded and said.

"Copy that." He turned to Shepard. "You heard her, we hold here" He turned to the Captain. "Then you get your answers." He nodded and motioned for his team to split up. The blonde woman drew a massive rifle from her back and hung around in the back, mounting it on fallen debris. In front of her was the tall, skinny man with the marksman's rifle. On the left side was the Captain, black man with their rifles and the Hispanic woman with the LMG. One the right was the red headed man with his shotgun, the Middle Eastern man with his rifle, and the short brunette with her small SMG. Shepard spotted an Avenger near the radio and picked it up, taking up position with the Captain on the left, Anderson posted up on the right, Predator in hand. Reaper troops rounded the bend, two falling to the ground and began to eat their fallen comrade. Shepard heard to his left from the woman with the LMG.

"That's disgusting." She turned to her Captain. "How come you don't ever take us anywhere nice Sam?" She smiled sadly and he returned it and he popped off a few rounds. More troops came from the bend, coving the ones that were munching on the dead. The air, already loud with the constant fighting, became deafening as everyone opened fire at once. Quickly, the tide of enemies slowed to a trickle, as did the torrent of bullets and heat sinks. The Captain dropped down to cover and shouted out. "Reloading!" The black man and Hispanic woman opened up, covering their leader, as did Shepard. In the distance, Shepard could see the _Normandy, _it never looked more beautiful than it did at that moment. Shepard put more shots down range as Joker yelled over the coms, firing two bursts from the _Normandy's _main gun.

"The Cavalry has arrived; you call for a pickup Shepard?" Shepard smiled as Joker opened up the cargo bay doors. Shepard tapped the Captain on his shoulder. "We're moving out, let's go." He nodded and rounded up his team as Shepard hopped onto the _Normandy. _The Captain, Sam, Shepard recalled his name, followed suit as did all of his team. Shepard called out to Anderson.

"Let's go Anderson, the fights out there." He shook his head and spoke.

"No Shepard, for me, the fights right here. London is my home and these people need a leader. Go to the Council and bring back a fleet Shepard." Shepard smirked.

"You can't order me anymore, I got grounded." Anderson smiled and drew something from his pocket. He tossed it to Shepard and said.

"Consider yourself reinstated, Commander." Shepard nodded and slipped on his holotags. He was about to speak when the blonde woman leapt back onto the main land. Sam shouted.

"Chambers, what the hell do you think you're doing?" The woman shook her head and spoke with a thick English accent.

"This is my home too boss, I'm staying." Sam sighed.

"I'm not going to be able to get you to come with us, am I?" the woman shook her head and Sam looked to Anderson. "I don't know you; I don't know what's going on but please, keep her safe." Anderson nodded and Sam confirmed it with a nod of his own. The woman, Rose, spoke one more time before the bay door closed.  
"Who dares." She left the sentence hanging and Sam gave a small smile before saying.

"Wins. Give 'em hell Rose." She nodded and saluted, to which the rest of her team returned and the bay doors closed.

Shepard motioned for them to follow him further into the cargo bay, they were met by Ashley Williams and James Vega, both of whom wore battle armor and carried their rifles. Ashley nodded to Shepard.

"Shepard" he returned the nod.

"Ash" Shepard was about to speak again when his com buzzed, he brought it up on a nearby terminal and Saw Admiral Hackett, but it was fuzzy at best and nearly impossible to understand. Hackett spoke calmly but tinged with fear.

"Shepard, we've su-ined heavy losses, we can't beat them con-ntion-ly." There was a stream of static and then he said. "been researching a Prothean archives with Dr. T'soni… found a way to stop the Reapers….. only way to stop them." Another string of static that ended with "contact soon, Hackett out." The com dropped and Shepard hustled to the elevator with Sam's squad in tow as well as Ash and James. Everyone was looking at him and he stated.

"We're going to Mars. There's apparently some Prothean weapon that can help us with the Reapers there." Both James and Ash nodded but Sam and his team looked lost. Shepard looked to them as the elevator opened up on deck three. "You're all welcome to stay here, take the left all the way down and there's the Starboard Observation Room, you guys can stay there since we're maxed out on space in the crew cabin. Speaking of which, it's the door on the right before the Observation room, across from that is the ladies room. On the opposite side is the men's room on the right and Life support on the left. The far room is the Port Observation deck, which has a fully stocked bar and poker table as well. Behind the elevator on the left is my XO's office, whoever that may be and across from that is Dr. Chakwas's room, she's the medic of the ship. I'd recommend going to see her immediately, just to make sure everything is in order." Sam nodded and stepped out of the elevator with his team, heading for Dr. Chakwas's office. The doors closed and Ash gave Shepard a look.

"You talk to them like they've never been on a starship before." Shepard simply tapped the button for the armory and spoke into his coms.

"Joker, plot a course for Mars" Joker replied.

"Aye aye, but Shepard, what the hell are we going to Mars for?" Shepard spoke again.

"Hackett said there's some Prothean weapon thing to help us with the Reapers." At this, Joker just laughed. Shepard smirked and said. "And EDI, keep an eye on our new guests until we get back. Report to me as well if anything suspicious happens." EDI confirmed by saying.

"Of course, Shepard."

**A/N: Would really appreciate a review and give suggestions for anything you'd like me to add into the story or change about the Mass Effect 3 story. I have some ideas but the more the merrier. As always, may fortune favor you. **


	2. Adapt or Die

Jackknife team sat silently as Dr. Karrin Chakwas evaluated each and every one of them. As the last one of them hopped off of the table, Dr. Chakwas spoke.

"Well, it seems all of you are in perfect health, despite being frozen for one hundred and seventy years." Sam nodded and sighed. He felt out of place, he missed Earth, he missed his house in Philly, but most of all, he missed his family. His parents were long dead now; he could never keep a relationship together, never expecting any woman to deal with his career. It was still all sinking in; everything they'd ever known was gone. Everyone they'd ever known was now lost to the Earth. If Sam could conjure up a Hell in his head, this is probably what he'd create. Nothing was the same and there was nothing he could do about it, nothing anyone could do. Sam looked at his team and spoke.

"Go get settled in guys, I'll join you all in a little." There were grunts of confirmation but nothing more. They shuffled out one by one until it was just Dr. Chakwas and Sam. Sam looked at her.

"What happened Doctor?" She sighed but spoke, her voice tinged with an accent.

"You missed a lot Captain, but I'll start with the basics. In 2148, humans discovered an ancient technology on Mars; it turned out to be Prothean tech." She spied Sam's confused look and spoke again. "The Protheans were an ancient civilization that spanned the galaxy, and they had the use of Mass Relays. Mass Relays are a massive set of highways that allow us to travel to new systems and such, from there, the rest of history. I'll link you and your team to a codex; it's got everything you want to know." Sam nodded.

"Thanks Doctor." She put a hand on his shoulder.

"I won't pretend to understand what you're going through but I can assure you that everything is going to be ok. The world is as different as it is the same. As great as the Commander is, he can't do it by himself, or even with the help we've had all along the way. He's going to need people like you and your team. Don't think of it as an end Captain, it's a new beginning that can lead to more than you ever imagined. Now go to your team Captain, I think they need you now more than ever." Sam felt a small smile appear on his face and he nodded.

"Thank you Doctor, I'll do what I can. Just… thank you." She nodded, handing him a small tablet and he headed out. He hustled to his team, letting it all sink in. Sam walked into the Port Observation Room to see Damian, Mackenzie, and Marcus sitting at the bar, drinks sitting in front of them. He turned to his left to see Naomi lying on the couch next to Patel. Sven sat at the poker table, shuffling the cards and smoking a cigarette. Sam sighed and spoke.

"I know just how much this sucks guys. Everything we've ever known is gone and done with. Our families are gone as well as our homes now thanks to those Reapers. However, what is the motto of Jackknife squad, people? What code have we always lived by? Adapt or die. I don't know about you guys but I'm not dying anytime soon. Can you all say the same?" He was met with silence until Damian slammed his drink back and set the glass down.

"Don't you get it Sam? They're all dead! Our way of life is dead as we know it. We're so far out of our fucking element we might as well be aliens!" He stood up and faced Sam. "What do we have to fight for anymore Sam? You fucking tell me that it's worth fighting for, that we have something to go back to if we survive this shit." Sam stepped forward, now standing three feet from Damian.

"We fight for a home that we have to build ourselves. We fight for those that can't, same as we did back then but on a broader scale. Besides, what do we have to lose?" At this, Damian smiled a little and Sam put his hand up. "No enemy left standing..." Damian left it for a second, considering his options. Then he met Sam's hand and gripped it tightly.

"No ally left behind." Sam smiled and released his hand.

"Alright people, the good Doctor gave us homework." A collective groan echoed through the team as he said this. He smiled. "Read up you grunts, we've got a lot to catch up on."

The auto cannon roared as it sent a barrage of rounds from around the corner at Shepard, Ash, and the newly found Liara. Shepard sighed.

"Why can't it ever be easy?" Liara smiled slightly.

"If it was easy Shepard, it would not be given to you, now would it?" Shepard laughed and moved up quickly, dodging from cover to cover. Ash and Liara mirrored his movement and soon they got behind the cannon and were upon more Cerberus troops in the console room. Liara sent out a Singularity that lifted them all and made them easy pickings for Shepard and Ash. Liara sat down at the terminal and looked for a way to send the tram across. Ash spoke quickly.

"Wait, wouldn't they have short range radio? Helmet to helmet coms?" Shepard nodded and she went off to check the bodies of the fallen Cerberus troopers. Liara and Shepard were left in an awkward silence. On the original _Normandy _he and Ash had grown close and started a relationship that ended upon his death, Liara had acted as his best friend and confidant. Shepard was still furious after the events of Horizon and Ash's harsh words towards him. He frequently cracked his knuckles to keep from losing control. Liara spoke

"It seems Ashley has become very capable these days." Shepard grunted and flexed his hands in frustration. Shepard tried to control himself, speaking through clenched teeth.

"How can I still be so angry at her but still love her, Liara? I want to kiss her with the same passion as I want to wring her neck." Liara smirked and spoke again.

"I am no expert on love Shepard, but that seems like an adequate definition if I have ever heard one. Go help her John, maybe you two can work something out. Even if not, you both still have to play nice, as humans put it, we all have to work together to defeat the Reapers." Shepard exhaled and nodded.

"Yea, you're right. I'll be back in a moment." Shepard walked over to Ash, his fingers clenching tightly of his Valkyrie rifle as he got closer. He came upon Ash checking the helmets of one trooper. She spotted him and said.  
"I haven't found anything yet Shepard, but I'll tell you if I-"She stopped as the visor dissipated from the trooper to reveal his face. She recoiled in disgust. Shepard shook as well, staring into the eyes of the dead man. They were sunken in and were a biotic blue and his skin was gray, looking like it was oxygen deprived. Ash looked at Shepard. "That could've been you!" Shepard clenched his fists and nearly screamed.

"You're right Ash, it could've been, but it wasn't! I am right here Ashley, still the same as I always have been, just filled with a little more metal than before. What do you want from me Ash?" She stood her ground.  
"I want you to realize that you betrayed the Alliance, betrayed US, by working with terrorists! The same terrorists that you stopped nearly a hundred times before. Then you all of a sudden show up on Horizon after I saw you get spaced? To top it off you say you're working with the enemy? How am I supposed to trust you Shepard? How do I know you're all still there?" Shepard was furious now. He ripped off his helmet.

"Is all that I've done not enough to prove that I'm still the same John Shepard I've always been? Look at me Ashley, look at me and tell me that I'm not me." He was inches from her face now, his bright green eyes burning with fire. Ash said nothing and stared him in the eyes. John calmed down a little and brought his voice down to an acceptable level. "Look Ash, I understand but it is still me, whether you believe me or not." Shepard reached down and took the transmitter from the trooper's helmet. He spoke calmly and clearly. "This is Delta Team here; we're at the tram station awaiting extraction, all hostiles terminated." The voice on the other end was full of aggravation as it replied.

"Where the hell have you been Delta? Never mind, we're sending the tram back for you with Echo to secure. And make sure they're dead Delta, we don't want any repeats of last time." Shepard picked up the Hornet that sat on the ground next to the corpse and fired it into the trooper's chest.

"Roger that, we made sure. Delta out. The voice replied.

"Good, Echo is en route, over." Shepard dropped the com and stomped on it before slipping the Hornet into his back compartment and his helmet back on. Liara waltzed over to them and Shepard declared.

"Set up on the left and right, when I call it Liara launch a Singularity and Ash toss a cluster grenade. I'll pick up any stragglers." Both woman nodded and got into position as Shepard gave Ash a lingering look. The tram ambled down the track and Shepard spotted six troopers, two Centurions and two Guardians. They stepped off the tram and the lead Centurion put his hand up to his com, ready to speak. Before he could do so however, Shepard called out.

"Now!" Liara tossed a singularity out and held it, channeling more energy into it, making it even more powerful. Echo team was pulled together by the miniature black hole and Ash tossed out a cluster grenade. Shepard activated Disruptor Ammo and popped off a few shots before tossing his own frag grenade in. The fight lasted ten seconds and now the tram was littered with corpses and blood. Shepard looked to Ash and then Liara, they all shared a nod as they entered the tram and activated it. Shepard leaned against the wall, letting his rifle hang from his hand. Just then, a powerful shot ripped through his shield, sending him to the ground, stunned. Ash wailed in anger and shock.

"Shepard! Liara, check on him, I'll cover you" Her face a twisted mask of anger and hate as she put her M-7 Lancer. Adrenaline pumping, her shots found their mark every time, every burst a kill. Shepard shook his head and sat up. Liara helped him to his feet and he dropped down into cover. He cracked his neck and took aim.

"Always wear your helmets; it'll save your ass." Targets dropped like flies as the tram came to a halt on the far side. They hopped out of the tram and met more resistance as they moved forward. The resistance was short lived however, thanks to a steady dose of biotics, grenades and gun fire. Shepard and his team came upon a large room with a Prothean Beacon dominating it sealed in a case. They hustled to the terminal, however upon reaching it, the Illusive Man appeared in holographic form next to the Beacon. He took a drag from his cigarette before speaking.

"A fascinating race the Protheans. We've learned quite a bit from them. Did you know the Alliance has had the Archives center for thirty years and what have they done with it? They squandered data that could help all of humanity." Shepard stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"What do you want, Jack?" The man's eyes narrowed and he put his cigarette out.

"I've come for the data; it is the ultimate solution to the Reapers." Shepard stepped forward, closer to the hologram.

"I've seen your solution; you turn your own people, fellow humans into monstrosities. What kind of solution is that Jack?" He smiled slightly.

"They're not monsters Shepard; they're improved, better than any Alliance grunt." His gaze turned to Ashley. "Every one of them is worth ten on you Ms. Williams." Ash stepped up and jabbed a finger at the hologram.

"Listen you terroristic bastard, the Alliance is the best-" The Illusive Man dismissed her with a wave of his hand and tuned back to Shepard.

"Shepard, imagine how powerful we could be if we joined forces. We could secure Human dominance in the galaxy. We've earned the right, have we not? I know how to control the Reapers Shepard, we turn them from our greatest enemy into our greatest weapon." Shepard shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're insane, Earth is being annihilated by them and you're hatching a plan to make them a weapon?" The Illusive man turned away but still spoke.

"A shame Shepard, you've always been a here and now sort of man, never looking at the big picture. When you blew up the Collector base you proved that. It doesn't matter now. You can't beat them John, even with the data." Shepard stopped him again.

"Then help us! If you give me your assets and resources and we can find a way to end them once and for all." The Illusive Man shook his head.

"Maybe you could, but the odds don't favor you and I always play the odds." Shepard shouted and pointed at him.

"You're right, but I beat the odds! The Geth couldn't stop me, the Collectors killed me and didn't stop, and the Reapers are just the next target." The Illusive Man laughed an eerie and disturbing sound.

"Maybe Shepard, but it doesn't matter. I don't seek your approval; you were a tool, a very good tool but one nonetheless. Make no mistake Shepard, you will fall and bring the galaxy with you." Shepard waved his hand.

"Enough talk, Liara, get the data." The Illusive Man pointed his cigarette at Shepard.

"Stay out of my way Shepard; this is your final warning." Shepard crossed his arms again.

"I'm going to enjoy meeting your face to face Jack." He turned around to Liara who spoke.

"Shepard, the data is gone!" The Illusive Man's hologram disappeared. "The data is being erased Shepard!" Ash hunted around the room and spied Dr. Eva Core standing at a terminal, typing furiously. Ash raised her rifle.

"Step back, right now!" The Doctor stopped typing, then turned and sent out a savage spin kick, Ash hopped back but not far enough as her rifle was kicked out of her hands. Doctor Core slammed her fist into the console and took off. She ran around the corner and Shepard hustled to catch her, Ash and Liara on his heels. They chased her up a ladder and outside, she was inhumanly quick. As they ran, they spied a Cerberus shuttle dropping troopers off. They took shots at them as they ran but the shields absorbed any real damage so they kept up the chase. She was constantly ahead of them, launching back tech attacks to keep them at bay. They eventually chased her to the top, a shuttle incoming to pick her up. Shepard was shouting into his coms, trying to get a hold of James but the dust storm kept coms from being useful, still he tried.

"James, Cerberus spy getting away with the data, do you copy?" There was static on the other end. "Dammit James if you can hear me get over here right now, we need to stop her." More static. The shuttle stopped and the Doctor hopped on, Shepard stopped and took aim, sending out three bursts from his Valkyrie. One clipper her shoulder and she stumbled as James came flying out of the Martian sky. Shepard screamed and dropped.

"DOWN!" The Kodiaks clashed in a screaming heap of metal and fire. The Cerberus shuttle slammed into the ground, bursting into flames. James pulled up in time before he met the same fate and landed just to their right. Shepard stood up tentatively and wobbled before gaining his balance. Ash was up before him and grabbing her side arm. Shepard watched her enter the Cerberus wreckage but also spied movement. The shuttle door was tossed away like a toy as the Doctor stood up, her face ripped away as well as most of her body to show her metal endoskeleton. The Doctor leapt forward, faster than Shepard thought possible and grabbed Ashley by her throat, lifting her into the air with one hand. The robot pressed a hand to the side of her head.

"Orders?" The robot nodded in confirmation and began to slam Ash into the destroyed shuttle. Shepard saw nothing but red. He brought his rifle up and fired, unloading every round into the construction. The robot dropped Ash and turned to him, only to meet more rounds. It fell to one knee and looked at Shepard. He continued to fire, screaming and walking forward all the way. When he ran out of ammo he brought out his omni-blade. He jammed the blade into its face. Shepard felt nothing but hatred and anger, years of pent up rage and anguish came out in seconds. He stabbed until he felt his hand going through its head. He slowed and eventually stopped, his breathing ragged and the faces of James and Liara masks of shock. By then, Liara had helped Ash to the shuttle, she'd need medical attention soon but it was not nearly as bad as it could've been. She was still alive, unconscious though. Shepard stood and picked up the corpse of the robot, carrying it to the shuttle. The ride back to the _Normandy _was silent. Upon arriving, Shepard spoke to Joker over the coms.

"We need to get to the Citadel ASAP Joker. Ash's hurt pretty badly." Joker replied but Shepard ignored it as he headed to the elevator; he needed a drink. The elevator took him up and he became lose in thought.

_She's going to be ok, she has to be. I should've seen it coming dammit! I should've been faster. But I didn't and now she's hurt…. _The doors opened and Shepard stepped out and headed to the Port Observation Room. The doors opened and seven sets of eyes met his, he put on his brave face, not wanting to show anything. Shepard had forgotten about these people, he'd been so concerned with Ash that he forgot to give them the answers he promised. Shepard looked and saw them all with data pads in hand. Some had drinks while they read. Shepard locked eyes with Sam, who nodded and held up the data pad before speaking.

"Quite a man you are Shepard, I mean dying? Killing a Reaper alone pretty much? Hell even head-butting a Krogan? If there's one way to describe you Commander it's that you've got giant brass balls." Shepard stopped and laughed for what felt like was the first time in a long time.


	3. I'm sorry

Captain Sam Thornton knew the look Shepard had, a mask that shown through his laughter. It was a look Sam himself had used. His curiosity was piqued but it could wait. He sat on the couch with a small glass of rum and a data pad. Shepard was still laughing somewhat as he had made his own drink. Then he said.

"I guess you're all caught up on things then, more or less. Any questions or comments?" He looked around the room and Damian spoke.

"What's going to happen to us? I mean we're waaaaay out of date with ancient gear. We've got different training, hell this is the first time any of us have left the Earth. I guess what I'm asking is; Are we going to get into this fight?" Shepard sat across from them with a drink of his own, facing them from the bar stool. He sighed and took a sip of his beer, appearing lost in thought.

"I'm not one to turn down help when it's offered and in this case, we need all the help we can get. Welcome aboard." This brought a smile to the rest of the team. "I'll make some calls and get you all properly equipped. All I ask that is on the ground, you follow my orders." The team all looked to Sam as he chewed on the statement; after all, it was his team. Letting someone else, who had no idea what they knew, order them around? But… they're all capable people who are damn good at their jobs. After a short while that felt like an hour in his head, Sam spoke.

"Alright Commander, but I'd appreciate it if I could come with you should you bring one of my people. I wouldn't interfere with your command; my rank is more for decoration in this day and age." The Commander nodded with a smile.

"Of course, that was the plan I had in mind. Actually I have a few questions for all of you, I like to get to know those that are on my team." The team nodded and sipped their drinks as they awaited questioning. "I like to think I know my history pretty well, but I'd like to know what it was actually like back in the early twenty first century." Sven spoke for the first time since they all woke up, his deep voice tinged with a Norwegian accent as it rumbled through the room.

"It was tense, to say the least. Countries fighting over what was theirs, people revolting against governments, a bad economy, poverty, disease was still an issue despite all of our technological advancements. People still had no rights. It wasn't all bad though; progress was being made, just slowly. A lot slower than we'd have liked." Sam nodded and spoke.

"I can't speak for everyone, but I know I joined the Army originally to get into college but I bought all the bull that went with it and joined the Rangers, been a grunt ever since. Then I guess I was a real good grunt and made Delta Force. Met up with Damian there and the rest is history." Sam and Damian raised their glasses to each other and knocked them back. Shepard looked to Naomi next. She spoke in high but soft tones.

"Family has always been in the Navy, joined up and went from a civvie to a SEAL in no time, specializing in Heavy Weapons. It sucked, to say the least but it was worth it. SEALs always got the best toys, despite what Sam and Damian say." She smirked at Sam and continued. "Then I got brought into this task force and here we are." Shepard nodded and his gaze turned to Patel. Patel sighed and spoke, his voice filled with accent.

"I was a part of the Indian Special Forces, National Security Guard, specializing in cyber warfare. However I was just as good in the field. I was in my last year before I could retire. I had a family, they… they died in a roadside bombing. It's what's made me reenlist." Shepard nodded.

"I'm sorry; no father should ever outlive their child." Patel nodded and stared into space. Shepard looked to Marcus. He smiled and spoke.

"Joined the Marines at eighteen to get out of my town that was well on its way to being shit, served in Afghanistan and Iraq, eventually got picked up by MARSOC, which was the Marine's version of the SEALs or Delta, specializing in explosives. I live to make things go boom." He sipped his drink and tapped his finger on the bar top. Shepard returned the smile and looked to Mackenzie. She was staring out into the stars until Damian flicked her leg; she looked over in annoyance but cleared her throat and started.

"I was a child prodigy, certified genius. Took to medicine and graduated at the top of my class, became a full-fledged doctor at twenty three. I became bored with the ER and joined the Army. Apparently I was just as good in that as medicine and made it into the Green Berets as a team medic. I was the best, maybe still am. As hard as it's been, I wouldn't trade it for the world." Shepard nodded and she went back to staring idly at the stars. Next came Damian, who took a long sip of his whiskey before speaking.

"Grew up in Virginia on a farm. Wanted more and joined the Army, basically went the same route as Sam but my temper kept me from leading so I got point man and now I'm stuck with this asshole." He smiled as Sam knocked his drink back, a smirk visible. Sam turned his gaze to Shepard; Shepard's mask was beginning to crumble, he could see it. However, he kept his mouth shut; it wasn't his place to ask. Shepard turned to Sven who shuffled the poker cards.

"Growing up in Norway was pretty easy, we weren't wealthy but we were well enough off. I joined to get away from it all. I was good, hell one of the best. I was picked to be a part of Forsvarets Spesialkommando, which was our SEALs. Go anywhere, do anything, and tell nobody. I was a sharpshooter on the team, the Smoking Gun they called me, by the way, are there still cigarettes?" He asked wistfully. Shepard grinned and nodded.

"They're hard to come by, but that vice did not die out." Sven smiled a little and lit another cigarette, puffing away. Shepard downed his beer and sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

The inside of Shepard's mind was a tempest. He was worried sick about Ash, hesitant but curious about his new guests and terrified of the Reapers, of the war. Shepard's gaze turned to Sam's team as they drank and relaxed. They still all wore their black battle dress uniforms from the twenty first century. Sam was a tall tanned man with broad shoulders and short brown hair, his eyes the same color. Those same eyes that surveyed the room countless times, someone who never wanted to be caught off guard, constantly watching and waiting. Damian was the near opposite. He was shorter, still tall but not as such as Sam and stocky, built around the middle for power, a high and tight mass of fiery hair sat atop his head and on his chin in a trimmed beard, dark green eyes stared into his drink. He was relaxed, relishing the quiet that so rarely was about. He was ghostly pale, his eyes and hair were the only color he held. Naomi was a different story, her dark complexion and jet black hair gave away her Latina ancestry. She kept her hair in a tight pony tail. She was all arms and legs, thick and capable from carrying an LMG. She was actually quite striking, not overtly beautiful but she was eye catching, especially her storm cloud colored eyes, which kept flashing looks at Sam and the window. Shepard grinned internally and continued his visual tour.

Marcus couldn't have looked more at home as he joked and laughed. He was a mix of Sam and Damian, taller than the latter but stockier than the former. He was a coffee colored man with night colored hair and eyes. That was something Shepard caught on to, his eyes; always full of life and emotion. Someone who wore their emotions on their sleeves. Next came with Patel. He was a massive man, built like a wall, made purely of muscle and bone. He looked like he could match James pound for pound, even looking larger than Grunt. After him came Mackenzie, she was small, dark brown hair hung down to her chin. She was a beautiful girl, could've been one of Ash's sisters. She was tanned but lightly so; however Shepard could not get over the size difference, even between the two of them. Shepard was not a huge man, standing at six feet three inches tall with short brown hair and a light five o'clock shadow, Mackenzie, he guessed, barely broke five feet. He was built like Sam, lean but strong. Finally, he observed Sven. Sven was tall, but where Sam was leanly muscled and Patel was built of powerful muscle, Sven was skinny. He was fast in every sense of the word. He kept pale blonde hair close to his head, his face clean. The cigarette puffed and his hands moved like the wind, shuffling and flipping cards. Sven's eyes were electric blue, crackling like lightning. He observed like Sam, but even more so, bordering on paranoid. He refused to give his guard and inch; he was much like Thane in a way, always looking for exits and such. Never remaining truly still. Shepard's circuit ended and he stared into his beer bottle, standing he nodded to them all and walked out. He was alone with his thoughts again, he needed another distraction. Just then Sam appeared behind him. He stared at him.

"What happened down there Shepard? I know that look and shit hit the fan." He crossed his arms over his chest. He sighed and flexed his hands.

"Ash got hurt pretty badly. Some android thing. We… we used to be together then I died and…. Yea." Sam was about to speak but Shepard cut him off. "She's going to be ok, but we're going to the Citadel to be sure and I need to speak to the Council. But you know what freaked me out most of all?" Sam raised an eyebrow at this. "I lost control, years of rage and anger came out of me. I hate that she still has that much power over me; I shouldn't have lost it dammit. I still love her for Christ's sake… I don't even know Sam, I just don't know if I can do this." He trailed off and Sam laughed out loud, right in his face. Shepard got pissed but Sam spoke.

"You think you're the first man to ever lose control? Hell I would've been concerned if you didn't lose it at some point. You've done a hell of a lot of things Shepard and need a release. Fucking and fighting are the two most potent ways I know." Shepard's fists unclenched and he leaned against the wall. Maybe he did need a release, it could help. Sam spoke again. "Gather the crew and get them all down to the Shuttle Bay. Plus I wanna see if the Great Commander Shepard can take on an old man." He said with a smirk, which Shepard returned.

"Alright Sam, plus it'll give the crew a chance to meet you all. I'll meet you there in ten." Sam nodded and went back to get his team as Shepard spoke into his coms.

"All nonessential personnel report to the Shuttle Bay immediately, we're going to have ourselves a little fight." Shepard hustled to the elevator and went upstairs to change. The doors opened and he slipped out of his armor. He proceeded to put on a pair of loose shorts and an N7 tank top. Next he grabbed two sets of sparring gloves from a drawer. Finally, he grabbed a towel and headed back into the elevator. The ride down was fast and Shepard used the time to stretch a little. The doors opened to reveal most of the crew in milling around the Shuttle Bay. Sam and his team were huddled up together next to the Kodiak. Sam had stripped out of his battle dress vest and shirt, leaving him in black pants and a black tank top. He straightened up and hustled over to Shepard; the two men clasped hands and smirked. Shepard spoke.

"We're going to have a match here, three rounds at five minutes each." Shepard pointed to Engineer Adams. "Adams will keep time, starts on my mark, alright?" Adams nodded slowly, still a little confused. Shepard's voice boomed again. "Form up around us and but leave room. Round one starts…." He bounced on the balls of his feet, opening and closing his hands. Sam stretched a little and then brought his hands up to his face in a boxing stance. "Now." At first, they both barley moved, and then slowly they started to circle each other like predators. The gap closed and Sam threw the first punch, a poke at Shepard's ribs. It was dodged easily and countered with a hard left cross that missed by an inch. Shouts were heard from the crowd that surrounded them but they fell on deaf ears as they eyed each other up. Sam feigned with a right and delivered a solid left jab to the body, he followed it with a right that Shepard dipped. Sam took advantage of Shepard's downed head to give a hard left hook to his jaw. The crowd collectively groaned, save for Sam's squad. Shepard cracked his neck and grinned.

"Not bad for an old man." Sam returned the gesture.

"More where that came from." He rushed ahead, going for a take down. Unfortunately for him, Shepard was faster and sent a knee right into his nose. The kneed knocked Sam's face up and Shepard delivered two quick jabs that backed him up. Sam was tentative after the strikes landed on his face. He spit once, blood mixing with it on the floor. Shepard's attack didn't stop; he rushed ahead, delivering a flurry of punches. Sam blocked and dodged what he could. Shepard thrust out with a strong right hook, but it was slow. Sam took the small window he was given and started up. Short, fast punches met Shepard's abdomen over and over again. This backed the Commander up, Sam charged forward, tackling Shepard. He charge left Shepard's head open as he hit the ground and Sam raised his hands to strike as a whistle sounded. Sam sighed and got up, helping Shepard to his feet. The two shared a smile. Sam spoke.

"Saved by the bell, Shepard. Not next time." Shepard scoffed.

"Just you wait." Sam walked to his corner and Shepard went to his. James waited for him with a towel.

"Not bad Shepard, but watch those haymakers. He's waiting on them, keep em' short and sweet. Other than that, keep doing what you're doing." Shepard smirked; it'd been a while since he was given fight advice. _Been way too long since I've fought, forgot how it feels. _He rolled his neck and stood up. He met Sam's gaze and he also stood. The bell sounded and they clashed again, round two being more of the same. Round three was similar until the last two minutes, Sam went for a takedown and Shepard deposited a knee to his ribs, taking advantage of the chance, he hopped behind him. Shepard got his arm wrapped around his neck and his legs coiled around his neck; a text book rear naked choke. Sam held on as long as he could but there was nothing he could do. He threw elbows and tried to strike backwards but each blow was weaker than the last. Soon he tapped before he could be consumed by blackness. Shepard released the hold and helped Sam up.

"Hell of a fight for an old man." Sam coughed but smiled, putting out his hand.

"I can see they teach Spec Ops better hand to hand fighting nowadays; good." He looked into the crowd and spoke. "Does anyone else wanna get in on this?" There was a murmur among them and Vega stepped forward, smiling. Damian waltzed over, eyes Vega up. He looked to Sam.

"I'll take the big guy; show you how it's done Sam." Sam laughed and shook his head.

"Go for it, I'll be getting checked on in the Medbay." Damian smirked and the bell sounded. Sam walked to the elevator and Shepard followed. Joker sounded in the elevator.

"You kick that ancient bastard's ass Shepard?" Sam smiled.

"Not how I'd put it Flight Lieutenant, but yea, he won." Joker stammered but gave up and turned off the com as Shepard selected deck three as a destination. He spoke with a sly grin.

"Never seen anyone shut Joker up like that, I'd call that a small victory." Sam shook his head as they cracked jokes at each other's expense. They were like old friends, despite knowing each other for only several hours. They reached the Medbay and Chakwas looked to see their bloodied faces. She started to speak but stopped.

"Commander, should I even ask?" He simply smiled.

"You know you live to fix me Doc." She shook her head.

"You're lucky; Ashley just went under thanks to sedatives so I can treat you two fools." She sighed and looked them over. "Where to begin?" She spoke but Shepard heard nothing, he kept staring at Ash lying there, her face bruised and swollen. Her neck was in a brace. As if he was on auto pilot, he walked over to her, taking a stool and sitting next to her. He took her hand in his. By this time, Chakwas was tending to Sam as Joker spilled onto the coms again.

"Half an hour until we reach the Citadel Commander." Shepard nodded and ran his thumb over Ash's hand.

"Aye aye Joker, keep me posted." He squeezed lightly and spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, Ash."

**A/N: Hey guys, hope you liked this chapter. I leave you with one task. I have chapter four written for the most part, my question is should I add the Manae mission to Chapter four or do it all in 5? May fortune favor you all. **


	4. Burning

The _Normandy _docked in Bay D-24 and Shepard hustled out with Chakwas, Ash on a stretcher, as well as the rest of the team. The desk clerk waved them through to Huerta Memorial Hospital and up Ash and Chakwas went. Sam grabbed his shoulder.

"Shepard, get to the council." He turned to his team. "Mackenzie, get to the hospital and help out however you can, Patel, I want you to get to C-Sec and help bolster all systems. The Reapers will attack the Citadel and we're going to do our part. Sven, you and Marcus help them out. Damian, you, myself, and Naomi are going with Shepard." Sam's team nodded and hustled off; he turned back to John and saw hesitation in his eyes. Shepard, she's gonna be ok. Mackenzie is very good at her job and I bet everyone else is as well. We need to see the Council ASAP; Earth needs help, Rose and Anderson need help." John sighed and nodded.

"You're right Sam, let's go." They hustled to the elevator. He was left alone with his thoughts. _I should be with Ash right now, not bullshitting with politicians who don't give a damn. She needs me right now… I need her. _The doors opened and they made their way forward. As some people passed him, they stared, others ducked their heads. The same people who mocked him and called him crazy were now stunned silent, not knowing what to do or who to turn to. The Citadel Council came into view. Udina stood on the far left, his arms flailing as he was obviously shouting. Moving in, they heard his tirade.

"You can't do this, Councilors, Earth was the first Council world hit and we need help. Fleets, ships, supplies, everything!" The Turian councilor spoke next.

"And what would you have us do Udina? Leave our own home worlds defenseless to help you? We can't do that Udina and you know it." The anger was nearly visible as he spoke. Udina fired back.

"By all reports coming in, Earth is facing most of the force of this attack. We'll be exterminated if you don't help us!" The Salarian Councilor spoke in a mocking tone.

"By your reports…." Shepard with Sam's team in tow reached the basin and he spoke.

"Those reports are correct; the Reapers are in force on Earth. They're already on your doorstep; we need everything you can give us. Thousands are dying by the hour." The Asari councilor spoke up.

"As Councilor Sparatus was just telling Councilor Udina, we cannot lend anything without weakening ourselves." Shepard sighed; he figured this would be the response. Sam spoke up next.

"Did you at least prepare yourselves?" The Councilors stared at him as Councilor Tezedra spoke.

"And you are?" Sam's eyes narrowed at the Salarian.

"Sam Thornton, we're…" He paused, gesturing to Damian and Naomi. He really didn't feel like explaining his situation again. "Freelancers. Shepard signed us on. Now please, answer my question." Councilor Tezedra sighed but continued

"We had no reason to believe Shepard until this day. So, no we are not as prepared as we could be." Sam nodded and spoke again.

"I didn't think so, so we need to make a fleet of all races. It's the only shot we have at surviving." Councilor Sparatus interjected.

"Even if we could get everyone to work together, we have no plan to defeat them." Shepard stopped him.

"We discovered something on Mars, something that could help us." He brought up his omni-tool and a schematic appeared. "This is a Prothean device that has the capability kill the Reapers. The only reason they failed was because they ran out of time." Councilor Tezedra spoke up once again.

"This would be a colossal undertaking. How do we ever know we can build it?" The schematic moved and fell into pieces.

"All initial readings show that it is very possible to create it and Admiral Hackett already has teams scavenging resources. With your help, we can get this done and stop all future Cycles." Councilor Sparatus spoke with hope in his voice.

"Shepard, do you really think this can end the Reapers." Shepard sighed but looked him in his eyes.

"We have to try." The Turian Councilor nodded, his hands clasped behind his back. Shepard spoke once more. "If we work as one, we can get do it. United we stand, divided we fall Councilors." The Councilors looked at one another until Councilor Azria stated.

"As cruel as it sounds, with the Reapers attacking Earth, we have time to prepare." Councilor Tezedra followed her.

"We're holding a Summit of all races; if we can secure our borders then we can help you." Meanwhile, Udina held his head and shook it. Behind him, Shepard heard Damian growling and he spoke.

"You fucking snakes! You're going to let us all die so you can have a chance at holding onto your pathetic lives?" He tried to rush ahead but was stopped by Sam and Naomi. Councilor Azria grasped the railing in front of her.

"Mr. Thornton, control your acquaintance or you will be detained!" Sam held him back and spoke.

"Damian, it's not worth it man. We don't need this fighting with extinction in our faces. I hate it but you know they're right. Just. Relax." Damian pulled back and mumbled but remained silent. All but Udina had left by this point. He looked at Shepard.

"All of you meet me in my office now." He nodded as they walked to Udina's office. Shepard rested against Udina's desk with his arms crossed as Damian paced back and forth. Sam and Naomi spoke in low tones as they sat around the rooms. Udina walked in quickly, fuming with rage.

"They're a bunch of self-concerned jackasses Shepard. They'll never see us as equals, you know it and so do I." Damian nodded and spoke up.

"They're blind morons. They have to know they'll die out on their own." Shepard sighed.

"They're scared. Fear makes you do stupid things." The door opened and in walked Councilor Sparatus.

"Is protecting our own people stupid Commander?" Shepard began to respond but he held up a hand. "Save it, I come to offer you a way to get your help." By this point, he'd gained everyone's attention. "Our Primarch, Primarch Fedorian originally called the Summit. However, we lost contact with him when the Reapers hit Palaven. The meeting can't take place without him Shepard. The _Normandy _is one of the few ships that can slip in and get him and get out. If you do that for me Shepard, and I'll make sure you get at least some support. It'll also give you someone indebted to you when talks of where we're fighting during the Summit." Shepard chewed on this idea for a moment before sticking out his hand.

"You have a deal Councilor. Where is the Primarch?" Councilor Sparatus shook his hand and led him to a wall of screens. He moved his hand on his omni-tool and a planet came on screen.

"Our latest intelligence says that he's on Palaven's largest moon, Manae" Shepard nodded and looked back to Sam, who also nodded. "It's the best I can do Commander. Good luck and may the Spirits protect you." He began to walk away but turned. "One last thing Commander, your Specter status has been upheld; also various resources will be made available to you." He inclined his head and departed. As soon as the door closed, Marcus spoke.

"That could've gone worse I guess." Sam nodded and Damian growled again.

"I hate him, I really hate him." Udina grunted in agreement and spoke.

"It's something; I'll keep talking to them, see if I can squeeze anything more out of them." Shepard nodded and began to walk out, motioning for Sam and his team to follow. They left his office and headed down the hall. The elevator beckoned to Shepard, he was eager to go see Ash. However, as he reached it, a voice went off that he really didn't want to hear.

"Commander Shepard! The people of the Alliance have questions Commander." He groaned but turned, knowing that it would be much worse if he didn't deal with her now. Shepard had tried being nice before, twice in fact he resisted the urge to knock her flat on her ass. Now was really not a time for him to be pushed. He turned to her as she spoke. "Commander Shepard, Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani. Isn't it true that you were on Earth when the Reapers attacked? How do you justify running away while millions die? Is this the best we can expect from the Alliance?" Behind him, he heard Naomi mumble.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Khalisah turned her attention to the stocky Spanish woman.

"Excuse you? Did you have something to say Ms.…? Naomi scoffed.

"Yea, I do actually. Commander Shepard came to get aid for Earth. Aid that can help push the Reapers back to Hell. And here you are being a complete bitch. I have one thing to say." In a swift motion she reared back and delivered a savage right hook to Khalisah's mouth that dropped her quickly. She didn't move after she hit the ground. Damian fell into a fit of laughter, Shepard was stunned silent and Sam sighed and spoke.

"Do you really have to punch out every reporter that you see?" She shrugged and Damian stated through laughter.

"I think you killed her Nay." His words were interrupted by more laughter. Shepard eventually spoke again.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time, you have no idea." Again, she shrugged as they boarded the elevator. The ride took them down to Huerta where Sam ordered them to help out wherever they could. They nodded and departed, Sam included. Shepard took a deep breath and stepped out. He looked around, surveying the damage. He walked to a terminal with a dispenser and looked inside for a second. He spied something he thought Ash would love, the complete works of Lord Alfred Tennyson. He purchased it immediately, as money hadn't been an issue for Shepard in some time. He deposited his chit and out popped the collection. He took it with him as he headed to Ash's room. One right turn after going through two doors put him outside. He took another deep breath and entered. Shepard spied her lying there, still asleep. The bruising had improved but only marginally so. The neck brace was gone but she still wasn't looking all that well. Shepard didn't care though, he was just glad she was alive. He spoke, unsure if she could hear him.

"Ash… hey. It's John. Knew you'd pull through, too stubborn to stay down, always were. Had me real scared back on Mars. I needed to check in on you, make sure you're ok. I'm glad we got to see each other again Ash." Just then a doctor walked in. "Rest up Ash, we need you out there… I need you. We'll talk soon." He turned to the doctor before walking out. "You need anything Doctor; you get in touch with me." He placed the Tennyson collection on the bedside table and walked out, the doors closing behind him. He walked out, unable to get the image or her being slammed into the hull of shuttle out of his head. Shepard shook his head and walked slowly back into the main room. He took a breath and looked around for Sam and his team. He caught Sam's eye and ushered him over.

"We're moving out Sam, we've got a Primarch to rescue." He nodded and spoke into his com system.

"Boots in asses people. Meet up at the ship in fifteen. We're moving out." Damian and Naomi hustled up to him and nodded to Shepard. They moved as one to the elevator, heading to the docking bay. Shepard clenched and opened his fists repeatedly, still struggling with the image. It still felt unreal, like a bad dream. On top of the Reapers, he was going to have to deal with Cerberus. It just gets better and better.

Everyone met up at the _Normandy _and headed inside. Shepard turned to Sam.

"Think you can suit yourselves up? I'm about to fall asleep on my feet." Sam nodded.

"Rest up Shepard, we can dress ourselves" He said with a smile. Shepard nodded and entered the ship, he looked to his left.

"Joker, set a course for Palaven, we're on a rescue Op." Joker nodded.

"Aye aye, Shepard." He headed immediately to the elevator. However, right before he could reach it, he was stopped by a woman. She spoke with an English accent.

"Excuse me, Commander. You have unread messages in your terminal." Shepard eyes her suspiciously. "Oh, where are my manners. I'm Specialist Traynor, your coms specialist." Shepard nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Specialist. I'll take those messages in my cabin. We'll talk later. Right now I'm about to pass out." He headed up without another word and entered his cabin. Shepard fell into the bed still in his fatigues. His mind was whirling with dreams, none good. Shepard was in a forest of shadows and fog. It was a place he couldn't recognize. Figures danced along the trees and whispers echoed through the land. The whispers became louder, now becoming shouts and cries, all begging for help. Shepard saw nothing but death, piles of bodies and limbs. One voice was louder than all the others, Ashley's. He ran towards it as fast as his legs could carry him. Then another voice came from his left.

"SHEPARD! HELP US!" He recognized it immediately, Liara, Garrus, and Tali his closest friends. A shadow seemed to peel itself from a tree. It spoke in rasped tones, as if its vocal cords were burned.

"You left me behind John. You left me to burn in nuclear fire!" Shepard looked around, panicking. He was frozen in fear, confused at first. He caught on quickly though. _Kaiden…_

"I had to make a choice Kaiden! I… I didn't want to. There was no solution, you have to know that." The shadow appeared again.

"Liar! You could've sent Garrus or someone to get Ashley. You didn't have to go and take them all with you. You left me to die out there. I felt it for a split second you know. Fire consuming me entirely. There weren't even ashes left, just a shadow scorched into Virmire." Shepard fell to his knees, his eyes wide.

"There wasn't enough time! I… I had to save her Kaiden. I couldn't let her go." Shadow Kaiden grasped his chin.

"You sacrificed me like a chess piece! Hell, you sacrificed a whole Batarian planet!" He got within an inch of Shepard's face. "You'll burn for what you've done John Shepard. The blood of thousands is on your hands and it's only the beginning. How many more have to die before you? How many will you step on to get the job done?" As the figure spit its last word with conviction, he faded in the wind, the words coming out as a whisper. Shepard scrambled back, tears stinging his eyes as his back hit a tree. He whispered softly as his eyes closed.

"I'm sorry."

Shepard bolted upright, sweat pouring from him. He was shaking like a tambourine. Slowly, he shifted so his legs hung off his bed; he stood and walked to his bathroom, splashing his face with cold water. He looked up into the mirror and saw Kaiden staring back at him, his body burned. His face, what was left of it, was full of hatred and anger. The world behind Kaiden burst into flames, inching closer to him. Fire crept up Kaiden's leg, slowly enveloping him like a shroud. He burned and kept burning, his eyes never leaving Shepard's. Shepard was petrified, unable to move. He stared ahead, willing himself to move, to do something other than watch. The face burned to ash, the last thing to go was the eyes filled with malice. He finally regained some control of his body and leapt back, bringing his fist up, smashing the mirror. He shouted.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He fell back as his hand bled. He sat there in his bathroom for an hour before Joker sounded over the com.

"Commander, we're an hour out from Manae." Shepard said nothing but Joker turned the com off anyway, assuming his Commander and friend was asleep. Shepard addressed his hand, making sure there was no glass in the wound. The image still haunted him but he had to push it back, as it had done with everything else. _The mission comes first. _ He stood and brushed himself off. _It wasn't my fault… right?_ Shepard stared into the cracked mirror as his door opened. A voice called out to him.

"Shepard? Shepard are you in here?" _Liara. _He sighed and spoke.

"I'm in here Liara." He heard the tapping of her feet as she moved to the bathroom, speaking all the way.

"I forwarded some information about the project to Councilor Sparatus, he's still being stingy with help-" She stopped as she saw him staring into the broken mirror, hand caked with dried blood. "What happened John?" He kept staring ahead. "What. Happened." She spoke with authority and worry in her voice. He looked to her whilst his hands clutched the sink.

"Did I make the right call on Virmire, saving Ash instead of Kaiden? Could I have done more to save the Bahak system?" Liara sighed and looked at the ground.

"You did everything you could John. You tried to save Kaiden, you sent out messages to the people in the system. You can only do so much as one man." Shepard turned his head back the mirror.

"It feels like Kaiden is haunting me, Liara. I dreamt about him, we were in a forest, I could hear everyone's screams, like everyone was dying. Then Kaiden shows up, a shadow and tells me it was all my fault. He told me that I would burn for what I did…" Liara grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her.

"Listen to me John, none of it was your fault. You are a good man, whose heart has always been in right place. You've always done your best. You can't doubt yourself now John, the galaxy needs you now more than ever. Stay strong Shepard and remember you're never alone." She let go of his arm and turned away, heading for the door. Shepard stared ahead for a little while longer. With a heavy sigh, he went back to his closet and retrieved his armor, slipping into it as if on autopilot.

**A/N: Hey guys, hope you liked this chapter, I know I did. Anyway, school is starting up again soon and it'll probably stifle the chapters. I'll get that out ASAP though. Review and favorite please. And as always, may fortune favor you all. **


	5. Never Easy

Shepard stepped into the elevator and headed down to the armory, he stood in his armor with his back to the wall. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. The image of Kaiden stuck with him like glue. The doors opened up to reveal Sam and his team in full combat gear; Alliance standard issue. Their shields rippled across their bodies as they were activated. Sam stood with an M-96 Mattock in hand as did Sven. Damian held an M-22 Eviscerator. Marcus and Patel held M-7 Lancers, while Mackenzie wielded an M-9 Tempest. Finally, Naomi gripped her M-76 Revenant. Shepard locked eyes with Sam, who nodded. Shepard simply stared ahead, unmoving. He looked past Sam and his team to Steve Cortez and James. He spoke.

"James, Steve, you both ready?" Vega smiled and nodded in his heavy armor as Steve just nodded. He said.

"The Kodiak is ready to launch when you are Commander." Shepard gave a confirming nod and brought his wrist up, speaking to the whole crew.

"While I'm gone, Liara is in command." He moved his hand down but it beeped immediately, signaling that he was being hailed. He took the call, it was Liara.

"Shepard, I'm not trained to be in command, I don't even know wha-" Shepard cut her off.

"You'll do fine Liara, I know it. Just hold it down until I get back, ok?" There was a sigh on the other side but she replied.

"Alright Commander, good luck." The call ended and Shepard looked at the crew massing in front of him. He spoke.

"It's going to be Hell down there. But if anyone can hold out it's the Turians. Our goal is to go in and get that Primarch and get out. Understood?" A display of nods answered his question and he turned to Steve. "Get us as close to their Forward Operating Base as you can Steve." He nodded.

"Aye, aye Commander." With that, Shepard grabbed his Valkyrie rifle and they piled into the Kodiak. With nine people, not including a pilot, it wasn't the most comfortable journey but they'd had worse. The doors opened and they headed out into the battlefield.

They flew swiftly, making it to the moon with little resistance. On the ground, they spotted the FOB as Husks swarmed, some trying to flank. Shepard spoke.

"I'm hopping on the cannon, someone cover me." James and Sam nodded and took up positions on the side as he manned the cannon. Shepard tapped the triggers quickly, sending out short bursts into the masses. Husks fell quickly as the shots pierced them. His mind was sharp and focused in battle, his shots connecting consistently. Steve banked so Shepard faced the tide; more fell from the cannon and small arms fire. The tide was stemmed and Steve took them down, Shepard hopped out, aiming down sight, screaming.

"GO, GO, GO!" They all hopped out and he spoke into his coms. "Get back to the _Normandy _Steve; I'll contact you when we have the Primarch." Steve spoke as the Kodiak rose.

"Aye aye Commander, I'll be waiting. Good hunting." Shepard nodded and hustled ahead with his team in tow. They came upon a small group of Turians holding the perimeter. Shepard shouted.

"Where's your commanding officer soldier?" The soldier stuttered and froze. Shepard spoke again. "We're here to help soldier, but we need to know where your commanding officer is." The soldier snapped out of his haze and spoke.

"Just around the corner, past the first barricade." Shepard nodded and they moved out with haste. They came upon the barricade and the Turian standing guard opened up.

"Someone called ahead Commander, General Corinthus is waiting inside." Shepard nodded his thanks and hustled inside, his eyes wide. He spotted the General with a group of Turians; he walked up on him giving orders.

"Tobestik, get your men up on that North barricade. Move it!" The Turian saluted and headed off with the other, leaving Corinthus to tap away on a data pad. He peered over to see the Commander. "Commander Shepard, I heard you were coming but didn't believe it. I'm General Corinthus; I run this little patch of Hell." Shepard held out his hand and Corinthus took it. Corinthus turned back to the pad as Shepard spoke.

"You've done well with what you have General. I wish I could be of more help but I'm here to get Primarch Fedorian." This caused the General to stop what he was doing and stare forward.

"The Primarch is dead, Commander. His shuttle went down an hour ago when he tried to EVAC." Shepard sighed and ran his hand along his head.

"For fuck's sake. Alright General, that's going to complicate things. Things are that bad?" The General spoke with a dead tone.

"According to casualty stats we lost four hundred men in the last half hour, you do the math, Commander. We tried to advance and flank them but it doesn't do a damn thing. They just overpower us, flanking doesn't work at all." Shepard nodded and spoke.

"For what it's worth General, I'm sorry. I hear he was a good man." The General replied quickly.

"He was a friend; he would've been a good diplomat." Shepard nodded.

"So what now General? Who's next in the line of succession?" Corinthus sighed.

"I have no idea with such high casualties, Palaven Command would know but I can't get a hold of them with our com tower down. I don't have the men to send to repair it either. If you can get it up again Commander, I'd be in your debt." The Commander nodded slowly.

"We'll get it up ASAP while you hold down the fort. Contact me as soon as you get word." The General nodded and they headed out. James spoke.

"I see the tower over there Shepard." They headed through a barricade and turned the corner to see a Husk Horde. Damian gasped behind him.

"Holy shit…" Marcus sounded next to him.

"Got that right." Shepard pointed ahead.

"We've gotta push through and get that tower working, Patel, think you can do it?" He looked forward at the tower and nodded. "Alright, move slow and steady, leave nothing standing." They moved as one and fired into the crowd. Sixty husks turned to them and started sprinting. They moved like zombies, moaning and groaning. Quick bursts and shots flared out, dropping husks quickly. Their progress was slow but steady and soon they were the only ones left standing. Patel manned the ladder and made his way up to the tower, beginning his repair. Sam spoke as they surveyed the bodies.

"They're like zombies… The Reapers made these?" Shepard nodded and Sam felt a shock go through his spine. He looked at the corpse and put a round through its head. "Never hurts to be careful." Just then they heard a moaning coming from over the side of the cliff. More husks climbed over and ran at them. Sam ordered. "Cover Patel, nothing gets to the big guy." A reply came by the way of weapon fire. The wave was held off but more moaning was heard but this time from behind them. Shepard turned and spied another tide.

"Split your fire, half at our back. They're trying to box us in!" They poured in from all sides, seemingly never ending. "Patel, how's it coming up there?"

"Almost done, just another minute!" Shepard grunted and kept firing. He ejected his thermal clip and shouted.

"Running low! Check your ammo." Everyone was low, Shepard saw Damian pull the trigger and nothing happened. He grunted and drew his combat knife. He rushed out, stabbing into the Husks. Marcus's gun clicked empty next, followed by Naomi's and James's. They used their weapons as clubs and bats, trying to survive. Husks began to leap onto them, holding them down. Damian held one and head-butted the beast as Patel slid down the ladder. He grasped Shepard's shoulder.

"It's up and transmitting. We need to move." Shepard nodded and yelled.

"We're moving out. Now! Clear a path." They didn't speak, they acted. Sam, Sven, and Mackenzie took point as they were the only ones with ammo. Slowly, a path opened up and they rushed through it, breaking into a dead run back to the barricade. They rounded the corner and the Turians manning the mounted guns readied themselves. The Horde was mowed down as they followed by a hail of rounds. Shepard nodded to the men who returned the gesture. Shepard and tow headed to the General who looked up.

"I appreciate that Commander, but I wish I had better news. Palaven Command is in chaos with so many dead or MIA." Shepard clenched his fists.

"I'll take a child at this point General. Give me something." A familiar face with a Mantis sniper rifle walked up, speaking.

"Don't worry Commander; we'll get you what you need." Shepard smiled and held out a hand for the Turian.

"Garrus! It's good to see you again brother." Garrus gripped Shepard's hand and returned the smile.

"You too, Shepard." Corinthus immediately saluted Garrus.

"Vakarian, sir. I didn't see you arrive…"

Garrus stopped him.

"At ease General." The General nodded and went back to his console. Shepard looked up to the taller being in front of him.

"I figured you'd be on Palaven, holding the line." Shepard said with a wry grin. Garrus sighed and spoke.

"If we lose this moon, we lose the planet. Unfortunately, I'm the closest damn thing to a Reaper expert that we have, I'm "supervising." Shepard nodded and motioned to the group behind him.

"This is Sam Thornton, Damian Graves, Naomi Vazquez, Sven Burke, Mackenzie Singletery, Marcus Griffin, Patel al-Shazir, and James Vega. They're new to the _Normandy. _Guys, this is Garrus Vakarian. He's one hell of a soldier, been with me since the start." Garrus smirked and shook hands with the group behind him.

"I see you've been making friends, Shepard. About time." Shepard punched his arm lightly as Garrus rested his rifle on his shoulder. He spoke. "Corinthus filled me in on the situation; we know who we're after." Corinthus interjected.

"I've got word from Palaven Command, according to them the next Primarch is General Adrien Victus." Shepard nodded and looked to Garrus.

"Know him?" Garrus nodded.

"I was picking off Reaper ground forces with him this morning. He's a lifer in the military, very popular among the troops. Command isn't a fan though, despite getting results, he has a history of playing fast and loose with accepted strategy." Shepard nodded and spoke.

"You think he can get this done, Garrus?" He spoke, shifting his grip on his rifle.

"You know as well as I do that conventional strategy isn't going to beat the Reapers. He's going to give us a shot, and I trust him." Shepard nodded.

"Good enough for me. Let's get him and get out." Just then his com sounded and he tapped the button, speaking. "Joker, we're in a war zone right now, what is it?" Joker spoke, stressed.

"We've got a situation on the ship, Boss. It's like she's possessed. I can't lock down what it is either. Systems are shutting down and the weapons are going hot." Shepard grunted and spoke.

"Alright, do what you can Joker. I need her ready for if we need to bug out. I'm sending someone back." He looked back to the group. "Patel, I want you to head back with Marcus." They both nodded and headed off." Sam spoke.

"You sure, Shepard? Patel doesn't know those engines or systems really, Marcus either." Shepard sighed.

"No, Sam, I'm not but Patel is a pro, he can get it done." Sam nodded. Shepard turned back to Garrus. "You said you were with Victus this morning?" Garrus nodded and squeezed his rifle a bit tighter.

"Yea, but we split up. He went to bolster a flank, now he could be anywhere." Corinthus interrupted.

"I'm trying to raise him now, Commander. Just give me a minute." Shepard nodded as Sam shouted out.

"What the fuck is that!?" A Harvester began to swoop down and they sprinted towards the ammo crate to restock. They reloaded quickly and began firing. It descended lower and landed. They dove for cover, splintering around the creature. Everyone was firing at the beast, giving it everything they got. Sam turned to Damian, who nodded and flanked around. They both reached its back and climbed atop it. The two of them began firing at the tubes on the back of its neck. A wound opened up as the rest of them kept it distracted. Sam drew a grenade from his hip and jammed it into the wound. Both him and Damian hopped off as it detonated. The creature squealed in pain as half its neck was gone. It fell to the ground and was filled with more shots until it died. As it fell, the group scattered again. As everyone gained their composure again, they stared at Sam and Damian. Shepard was stunned, as was Garrus. Instead of speaking, Sam and Damian bumped fists and reloaded. Sam spoke.

"If only Marcus was here to see that!" He laughed as he gathered ammo. Shepard spoke next.

"That was…. Wow." Garrus nodded.

"I see your new friends are part Krogan." Sam and Damian smirked under their helmets and loaded up. General Corinthus stared at them.

"Never seen that before…. Anyway, Commander, I can't get anything from General Victus, you should check where he was last seen, and I'm transmitting those coordinates now." Shepard nodded as his Omni-tool lit up.

"Much appreciated, General." Corinthus nodded and they were off. The team headed around bends of rock and rubble as well as corpses and ships. Looking up they saw Palaven burning, Garrus sighed.

"It's all burning Shepard, and I can't do a damn thing to stop it." Shepard kept moving as he spoke.

"Can't let the doubt get to you Garrus. It'll eat you alive, believe me." James spoke afterwards.

"How bad is it?" Garrus said nothing for a short time but answered slowly.

"Three million dead on day one, five on the second." Damien whistled "Still have Dad and my sister, Solana, on Palaven. I haven't heard from them in a while." Shepard stopped him.

"I'm sure they're fine, Garrus." Garrus nodded as they kept walking. "How's your military?" Garrus sighed.

"Look around, you'll get an idea." Shepard stated

"You're holding out well enough." Garrus sighed.

"For now, but how long until the fight is kicked out of you? If only they'd listened the first time, maybe it wouldn't have been this bad." Sven grunted.

"Maybe, how does one really prepare for this though?" They were silent as they rounded the corner, finding more dead Turians. Garrus looked away and they continued on. The next corner brought four Husks, which were put down quickly. James snarled.

"I hate those things, and Earth is crawling with the creepy bastards. Makes me wish I had stayed. Pisses me off leaving the fight like that." Garrus countered.

"But you're asking Victus to do the same thing. Leaving the fight to play politician." Shepard grunted as they climbed up plateaus, coming upon a small squad of Turians. Shepard called out.

"Everybody alive?" The lead Turian nodded.

"Yes sir!" Shepard nodded and retorted.

"Have you seen General Victus?" The soldier nodded

"Half an hour ago, heading south." Shepard nodded and they moved out, in the distance a ship collided with the ground, erupting in dirt and debris. Sam commented.

"How many on that Ship, Shepard? Fifty? Seventy five?" Garrus grunted. Shepard stared ahead as they walked.

"Too many." They moved up until a fighter slammed into the ground several yards ahead. The crew leapt back but moved up. "Check for survivors." They nodded and moved up onto the ship. After searching, everyone came up empty. Garrus kicked the ground hard.

"Dammit! I'm sick of seeing corpses and crash sites. I'm sick of being too late, I'm sick of the damned Reapers!" He moved ahead, head full of anger, they followed. James broke the silence as they moved.

"You really think this Summit will work? I mean Asari? Salarians? Where are the Krogan and Batarians? Where's the meat?" Shepard lamented.

"The Batarians were hit first, they're all but extinct and the Krogan won't help the Turians because of the Genophage." They dropped down more ledges and saw fighting over the ridge. "Double time people, I'm not losing another Primarch." They rounded the corner and saw a barricade had been ripped open; Reaper forces were overrunning the camp. The team came in guns blazing, dropping targets as they popped up. "Take cover!" They spread out, setting up firing lines. Their movements were quick and efficient, Sam popped up from cover, tossing a grenade.

"Frag out!" Reaper forces flushed from cover and were on the receiving end of rounds in the back. Steady torrents came from Naomi's Revenant as she mowed targets down. Shepard called out.

"Split up! Two teams of four." Immediately they splintered, moving up the left and right sides of the battlefield. Reaper forces fell quickly until they hooked the corner. A massive creature, bigger than any creature Shepard had encountered, hulked over the field. It picked up and slammed a Turian, turning him into a paste. The Brute roared and began to charge when they opened fire. It turned to them with hate in its eyes. Small arms fire bounced off its armor as Shepard engaged Inferno Ammo from his HUD. His weapon glowed red as he pulled the trigger, the armor sizzled and fell off as they chucked grenades at the beast. After nearly a minute of constant fire, the beast tumbled in a heap. Foes fell quickly as they hustled further into the camp, pinning the Reaper's forces between their fire and the entrenched Turians. Just then though, drop pods fell, expelling more Reaper forces, including two more Brutes, Shepard shouted.

"Engage Inferno Ammo, burn through its armor!" Shots of red and orange flickered across the battlefield, igniting the creatures, they fell quickly with the rest of the forces. The tide of Reaper troop was stemmed… for now. Shepard led them to Victus, who stood with rifle ready with his men. He lowered his weapon as they approached, Shepard spoke.

"General Victus?" He nodded. "I'm Commander Shepard of the _Normandy._" He put his weapon away, replying.

"Your reputation precedes you Commander, what brings you to Manae?" He stops and looks to Garrus. "Where did you run off to Vakarian?" Garrus let his arms hang at his side as he spoke.

"Heavy concentration of Reapers on the right flank, was dealing with them." Shepard stepped forward.

"You're needed off planet General, I've been sent to escort you." Victus crossed his arms and looked back at him.

"You better have a damn good reason for me to leave my men out here Commander." Garrus stepped in.

"Fedorian was killed Adrien, you're the new Primarch." Shepard nodded.

"You need to represent your people at a Summit in the fight against the Reapers." Victus walked past them all, staring at Palaven burning, his shoulders slumped.

"I now represent Palaven and the Turian Hierarchy? I don't even know how to be a politician, I hate politics. I'm a soldier, nowhere near qualified enough to be the Primarch." Sam spoke this time.

"Fuck qualifications, we need warriors to lead people into a war, not politicians, we need people like you General. Earth is twice as bad as Palaven right now; we need to band together to stop those walking skyscrapers." Shepard nodded as Victus chewed on this thought. He sighed but spoke.

"Alright, give me some time to get my men in order and say goodbye." Shepard nodded again and turned to Garrus. They stared at a Reaper in the distance.

"How do we kill something like that Shepard?" He laughed humorlessly "I'm a failed C-Sec agent, failed vigilante and I'm their expert?" He ran his hands over his face. "You think we can do this Shepard?" Shepard looked to Palaven before speaking.

"I have no idea Garrus, but I'll be damned if I'm not going to give it all I've got." Garrus nodded, stating.

"For what it's worth, I'm with you Shepard, brothers to the bitter end, right?" He held out his hand and Shepard took it.

"To the last breath." Shepard looked back to Victus. "Ready, General?" He nodded but spoke.

"I understand your need for aid Commander but I can't spare anything while Palaven is being annihilated. If we could take the pressure off of Palaven though, I could send fleets." He left the sentence hanging. Damian spoke this time.

"You're asking a lot General." He nodded and replied.

"We need the Krogan, we won't win without them. You get them on board and you'll have everything I can get you Commander." Shepard ran his hands through his hair.

"Son of a bitch… the Krogan. Summit got a lot more interesting didn't it?" Garrus nodded. Shepard raised his arm. "Steve, we need a pick up at these coordinates." He didn't wait for a reply, closing the channel. He sent a report to the Council quickly, highlighting the Primarch's calls for the Krogan.

The ride back was quiet; everyone was still warming up to each other. As soon as they made it back, Shepard headed to the War Room; he made a call on the Holo Com to the Council. Councilor Azria answered. She held her hand to her head, as if nursing a headache.

"Commander, I've tried to talk to the Salarian Dalatrass but to say she's upset would be a colossal understatement." Shepard clutched the railing in front of him.

"Some of these issues are hundreds of years old, it's been more than enough time to move past them." The Councilor nodded.

"I know, Commander but we've tried before, all attempts have failed and we can't afford to waste more time with the Reapers on our doorstep." She put her hands behind her back and spoke finally. "I'm sorry Commander, but the Asari will not attend this Summit." The channel closed and Shepard roared in anger.

"GOD DAMMIT!" He tried to control himself, but he gripped the railing tighter, his knuckles whitening. The Holo Com flashed, signaling that someone was hailing him. He answered the call and was greeted back Admiral Hackett, he stood with his hands behind his back. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Commander, did you get your Primarch?" Shepard nodded and spoke.

"We did, but the Asari are staying back." Hackett nodded with a grunt.

"It's a shame, now's when we need to stand together, not alone." Shepard nodded.

'The Salarian will be there though." Hackett nodded.

"You don't sound optimistic." Shepard sighed.

"The Krogan should also be there." Hackett nodded slowly.

"Well, you have a full plate Commander. I'll let you get back to it, Hackett out." He saluted and the com closed. Shepard sighed again and headed out. Primarch Victus stood at a terminal, out of his armor and into a suit. Shepard walked up to him.

"Primarch, it seems the Asari won't be joining us." He exhaled.

"Figures." Shepard nodded.

"She thinks there's too much bad blood between the Krogan and you all." Victus clenched his hands.

"She may be right but if we don't at least try, there will be much more blood." Shepard nodded and walked out to the CIC. The lights flickered through the ship and Joker came in over the coms.

"Shepard! EDI's offline. Can't get access AI core diagnostics and she's not responding." Shepard groaned.

"Joker, I'll check out Deck three." He nodded to the two guards that he walked past. They both nodded and followed him to the elevator to Deck three. They all stepped into the elevator and headed down. The Corporal with him spoke. Her voice semi nervous.

"Rough day Commander?" Shepard nodded.

"Never is easy, is it Corporal?" The door opened and they stepped out, heading to the AI core.

**A/N: Hey guys, hope you liked this chapter. If you did, review it, if you hated it, tell me. If you have any comments or concerns and don't want to put it in the review, just send me a message. Keep reading and, as always, may fortune favor you. **


	6. Grissom

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the wait, had some family things come up and such. I'll be getting these out as soon as I can, hopefully this was worth it.**

Shepard walked with purpose while being flanked by two soldiers. The elevators doors had opened and he stared intently at the Med Bay doors which housed the AI core in the back. The doors were being guarded my two more marines with weapons ready. They nodded to Shepard as he entered and saw two more Marines, one scanning with his Omni-tool and another leaning against the door with a fire extinguisher and gas mask on. There was sound coming from the other side of the door and Shepard tapped his com.

"Joker, what's going on?" Joker replied.

"Some kind of fire Commander; could be an electrical fire." Shepard nodded and looked to the tow guards in front of the door.

"Move in on me." They nodded and Shepard opened the door. The room was empty save for a wall of smoke in the back and a small fire on a wire. The soldier to with the extinguisher moved in and let loose with it, sending out a stream of foam that doused the remaining fires. They moved further in but stopped when the lights of the side wall lit up, indicating that systems were coming back online. Out of the smoke walked the body of Dr. Eva Core. Shepard snapped to attention.

"Weapons ready, I want that thing dead this time!" He shouted as Marines moved in. Their weapons were trained on the body until it spoke… with EDI's voice.

"Do not shoot, Commander." Shepard stopped and stared ahead, frozen in confusion. Shepard fumbled for words.

"EDI?" He asked. EDI nodded and Shepard kept speaking. "You're in Dr. Eva's body…" He stated the obvious but was still cautious. EDI crossed her arms over her chest.

"Of sorts, I have control over the body but I still remain in the _Normandy. _As you can see, the transition was not seamless." Shepard held his head.

"Transition? You went completely black on us EDI." She nodded.

"When you brought this aboard, I began to explore for anything on the Prothean research data. This activated a trap that tried to… revive the body for physical confrontation. I was able to restrain it by getting root access and repurposed the body. It struggled... thus the fire." Shepard sighed.

"Alright EDI, I can see that alerting us would've been useless but please just give us a heads up anyway, ok?" EDI nodded.

"Of course, Commander." Shepard looked over the body once more, still hating it and reliving the moment that it tried to kill Ash but saw benefits as well.

"Does that body mean you'll be joining us on ground missions?" EDI spoke.

"Yes, Commander, this would allow me to fight where the _Normandy _could not." Shepard nodded and crossed his arms as well as he stood opposite EDI.

"Alright, run a full series of tests again though, I want to make sure that this thing won't go haywire and try to kill us again." EDI nodded and stared ahead blankly. After several seconds she spoke again.

"Completed, Commander, I can send you the reports if you'd like." Shepard shook his head.

"That won't be necessary, EDI." EDI nodded and began to walk to the exit. She stopped and turned back to Shepard.

"Firstly though, I should get the ship back to normal and reassure the crew that all is fine." Shepard spoke hesitantly.

"Be careful EDI, that thing was shooting at them not too long ago." EDI gave confirmatory nod.

"An excellent point, Commander. I will take it up the Bridge, Joker will want to see it." With that, she left. Shepard tapped into the ship's coms, speaking to the whole thing.

"Attention _Normandy _crew, a friendly" he stressed the word. "Android is moving about the ship, do not, I repeat do not, engage. That is all." He cut the coms and headed back out, running into Dr. Chakwas. She stopped him, looking puzzled.

"Was that... EDI, who just walked by?" Shepard sighed and nodded.

"Yes it was Doc." He ran his fingers through his hair and kept moving he passed the Corporal, mumbling. "I need a drink." The Corporal smirked as she followed the Commander to the elevator, returning to her post. Shepard headed to the Port Observation, walking in and seeing Sam and friends relaxing, cleaning their weapons and armor. He nodded to them making his way to the bar to mix his drink. He heard someone call his name from behind.

"Shepard!" He turned to see Garrus sitting at the poker table with Sven and Marcus. Shepard held up his drink to them. "Come here." Shepard made his way to the table and sat opposite Garrus, next to Marcus. "Marcus here was just catching me up with what's going on here, Shepard. Quite the story, huh?" Shepard sipped his drink, bowing his head. He stared at his drink, listening to the group talk. Garrus spoke again. "You'll have to tell me about this mission that happened in, oh what was it called? Afghanistan? Something like that. You mentioned it earlier." Marcus had been leaning back in the chair with his feet up and a beer in hand. He smiled as Garrus said Afghanistan.

"Well, we'd just air dropped in…" Shepard finished his drink and stood, leaving the room. Thoughts of Ash whirled around his mind as well as Kaiden's haunting dream. He shook his head, thinking that the faster he can end this war, the faster he can deal with it. He headed to the elevator, taking it up to the CIC. The door opened and he spotted Traynor hunched over her terminal. She turned when she heard the elevator and walked to Shepard.

"Commander, I think I've found something you'll want to see." He nodded and walked to her, as she brought up whatever she was looking for, she spoke to Shepard. "How are you, Commander? Things were hectic up here, can only imagine what it was like on the ground, sir." Shepard shrugged.

"It was war, whatever that means anymore." She nodded, bringing up a map.

"Well, while scanning Alliance channels, I came upon a hail from Grissom Academy. They're on the Reapers warpath and are requesting help." Shepard crossed his arms.

"OK Traynor, I assume we'll need to EVAC them?" She shook her head.

"A Turian transport responded to them, so normally I'd heave let it be but I thought something was off. So, EDI and I went looking and found out that it's fake. EDI said it matched a fake signal Cerberus used when you guys boarded a Collector ship…?" Shepard's eyes widened and his whispered.

"Oh shit…" Traynor kept speaking.

"Someone wants us to think Grissom is being evacuated when they're not. I really don't think this is misinformation, Commander." Shepard nodded and brought coms up.

"Joker, make a bee line for Grissom Academy, ASAP. We may have a rescue op." He looked back to Traynor. "Good work, Traynor. You might have saved a lot of lives." She turned away as she thanked him, embarrassed. He hustled as Joker replied to him.

"Aye aye, Commander. ETA is two hours." Shepard nodded and called to Sam and Garrus.

"Ready up people, we may have something. We arrive in two hours." He didn't wait for a reply before heading up to his cabin to armor up and gather himself.

Shepard opened his doors and stripped immediately, slipping into his armor quickly. He checked all the clasps and buckles, making sure everything was in order. He slid his helmet over his head and took a deep breath. He knew he had time to kill, so he checked his messages. He had four, one from a Specter asking for help, he'd look into it next time he was on the Citadel, one from Aria telling him to meet her in her new nightclub, Purgatory. Another was from Thane, who was at Huerta. Shepard smiled, wondering how his friend was doing. However, the final one caught his attention, it was from Ash. Apparently, she was feeling a little better and Udina had asked her to be a Specter. His eyes widened at that. She hadn't answered yet, which was good. He ran the thought over and over again through his head, trying to picture her as one of them. Finally, he concluded that she would be a damn good, like she always was. She also wanted to meet with him next time he was around, as well as thanking him for the poetry book. Shepard was ecstatic that she was doing better and made it a priority to go back as soon as they were able. He smiled, heading to the elevator. The ride down was quick, as the CIC was directly under his cabin. He decided to check on Joker and EDI, see how they were doing. Joker turned as he heard his footsteps and was all smiles.

"Hey Commander, check out my new copilot!" Shepard crossed his arms and nodded.

"I assume you knew nothing about her taking the body over?" Joker turned and looked at him.

"Really, Commander? You think I could've kept it a secret if she was moving into something that sexy?" Shepard smirked, holding his hands up in mock surrender. If EDI could've she would've been blushing as she spoke.

"I'm right here Jeff." Joker sighed and faced the controls again.

"Yes you are EDI, yes you are." EDI looked to Shepard and stood up. He walked over to her and spoke.

"How're you reacting to the body EDI?" She spoke, raising her arms and glancing at them.

"I am curious to see how this body performs in combat scenarios if you would allow me to accompany you. However, until further testing is conducted, this body is adequate." Joker piped up.

"That's not the word I'd use for it." EDI looked at him, then Shepard.

"Maybe we should speak privately, Commander." He nodded and they walked further down the bridge. EDI put her hands behind her back and stared Shepard in the eyes. "Shepard, do you believe crew members should be allowed to disobey a direct order on moral grounds." Shepard cupped his chin, thinking.

"I do, people should think for themselves. Why do you ask?"

"When I was designed, I was not intended to take moral stances with orders from officers. However, when Jeff removed my shackles, I became able to rewrite my core programming, I asked Jeff if I should change anything but he avoided the question. He's done this several times. Now I ask you Commander, do you think I should make any changes?" Shepard thought hard for a second, considering his response.

"EDI, I can't make that decision for you, it's up to you. That's the thing about free will." She nodded and replied.

"Understood, Commander. May I bring these types of questions to you when Jeff avoids them?" Shepard nodded.

"Of course, I'll do my best." EDI nodded again.

"Thank you, Commander. I will keep you informed." She walked back to the pilot's cabin. Shepard wandered the ship for a time, waiting for the call.

Time passed quickly as Joker called to him.

"Fifteen minutes to Grissom, Commander." He thanked him and called the ground team to meet him in the Shuttle Bay, EDI included. Slowly but surely all eleven of them appeared to him, weapons and armor ready. Shepard called out to everyone, grabbing their attention.

"Alright people, this may be nothing but I have a feeling that we could be in for a fight with Cerberus. I just wanted all of you to know what to look for." There was murmuring among the crowd that Shepard shushed and kept talking." First off, watch for Centurions and Guardians, Centurions are the battlefield commanders, Guardians always have their massive shields. Both can be very hard to kill. Keep your eyes peeled and kill them quickly, flank them and dispatch them quickly. However, should you spot a Combat Engineer, they are priority one. They carry these turrets around on their backs that can kill an entire squad in seconds if you're not ready." There were confirmatory nods and Shepard asked. "Any questions?" Nobody spoke up and Joker called him back up to the Bridge. He moved quickly as Joker sounded urgent. Joker was tapping and moving his hands around the console, bringing up ships surrounding the Academy.

"Traynor caught it Commander, a bunch of Cerberus cruisers. They want this place bad." A light flashed and Joker tapped it. A voice sounded.

"_SSV Normandy, _this is Kahlee Sanders, director of Grissom Academy. We need immediate assistance, Cerberus is attacking the facility and are abducting students." Shepard spoke.

"This is Commander Shepard, we're blocked off from direct approach." Shepard rested his arm on the chair and his chin on his hand. "Are there any alternatives we could get into?" There was silence for a moment and she spoke again.

"There's a cargo port I can get to, that might work." Shepard nodded.

"Alright, we'll come in by shuttle and get your students out." Shepard smacked Joker on his shoulder. "I need a diversion Joker, think you're up for it?" He said with a smirk. Shepard headed back down to the Shuttle Bay and they loaded up in the Kodiak, all thirteen counting Steve. The shuttle departed and the _Normandy _darted forward, catching the attention of Cerberus forces. Joker spun and twirled the ship, dodging all fire. The Kodiak docked into the Cargo port with no resistance and they all hustled out, weapons ready. Shepard spoke to Steve over coms.

"Keep the ship ready, we're gonna be crowded on the way out." Steve nodded and took off. They moved as one, Shepard taking point with Sam and Damian on his left and right. Blood stained walls and corpses sat against the walls. They opened a door and spotted two troops standing at the far side of the room and two more trying to hack into a door. The group opened fire immediately, making mincemeat of the squad. Shepard knocked on the door, weapon still ready. The door opened and a woman stood with a Scimitar in hand. Shepard spoke.

"Kahlee Sanders?" She nodded and they lowered their weapons. "I'm Commander Shepard, we're here to help." She lowered her weapon as well.

"Admiral Anderson said you were the best, I'm glad he wasn't wrong. Right now, I need the best to keep Cerberus from taking my students." Shepard nodded and she began to walk back to the console, Shepard spoke.

"How many students are there?" Sanders replied.

"Fewer than twenty most went home when the Reapers hit. Some are testing Alliance prototypes and others are specializing in biotic artillery." She turned back to the console and she tapped more keys. "I've been trying to get communications up. I think I've got something." A man's voice appeared over the coms, his voice full of fear.

"This is Froeberg! Students are trapped in Orion Hall and Cerberus is closing in fast!" There was a gun shot and all went silent. Kahlee slammed her hands into the desk, shouting.

"Dammit!" Shepard put a hand on her shoulder and spoke.

"Orion Hall?" She sighed and pointed to the door outside.

"Back out that door and down the hall. I'll open the door for you." Shepard nodded and turned back to her as his team waited by the door.

"We'll bring them back here and make mad dash for the shuttles." He called out to his team. "James, you, EDI, and Patel hang back here and cover Ms. Sanders." They nodded and walked back to her, weapons at the ready. She nodded in thanks and stared at the screen.

"Thank you Commander, I'll stay here and try to regain some of our systems." Shepard walked out with his team and they formed up, moving like a wave through the facility. The rooms were filled with overturned carts and broken seats, some burning when a voice came from over the intercom claiming they didn't want to hurt the students. Damian scoffed and shot the speaker in the corner of the room.

"Bunch of bullshit." Sam nodded and they kept moving, spying a group of six Cerberus troopers talking to a student who was hidden behind a biotic wall. Shepard looked to Liara, who nodded and tossed a singularity out, catching them all. They levitated in the air, screaming in shock as Sam slowly rolled a grenade to them. The explosion turned them to little more than bloody mulch. The student dropped his barrier as they came upon him; he was short of breath and shaking. Liara ran to his side.

"He's exhausted, but he'll be ok soon." The student stared ahead as Liara helped him to his feet. Shepard spoke next.

"Head back out that way." He pointed with his thumb behind him. "Kahlee Sanders is there with two more of my team, you'll be safe there." He nodded and spoke, barely above a whisper.

"OK, but my sisters Seanne is out there. If you see her, please bring her back." Shepard put a hand on his shoulder and nodded.

"We'll do our best." He nodded again and walked off, slowly. More doors blocked their path, they could've open fast enough. Another lecture hall as it seemed materialized and they ran in just in time to see a young student flee for her life. She turned around, catching a round in her chest; she fell as the Troopers went in for the kill. Shepard opened fire as they walked in, dropping two as Marcus and Mackenzie moved up, dragging the wounded girl out of the fray. Marcus covered her Mackenzie tried to save her. Naomi opened up with her Revenant, pinning the remaining Cerberus grunts down. Shepard looked to Liara, who tossed out another singularity, lifting three of the remaining five into the air. More fire was laid down, dropping the other two. The singularity ended, leaving two dead and the last one bleeding out on the ground. Damian ran over to him and began to kick the Trooper, stomping and slamming into his ribs and chest. He stopped after a minute and Sven but a round through his skull, killing him finally. Shepard turned to see Mackenzie performing CPR on the girl, her hands bloody. Marcus put a hand on her shoulder as she stopped.

She sat on her hands and knees, breathing heavily as she stared at the girl's body. She turned to the group and shook her head, they were dead silent. The group took a right turn, leading to another meeting hall. They were on their toes as they moved, but found no Cerberus. To their left, they heard faint speaking.

"Stay back… I'll… I'll" Shepard rushed over to the injured girl, as did Mackenzie and Garrus. Shepard noticed that she looked like the student they saved earlier. He spoke.

"Are you Seanne?" She nodded, still woozy as Garrus helped apply medi-gel and Mackenzie wrapped her in gauze. She had a chance to live if they got her help soon. "Mackenzie, I want you to head back to Kahlee with Seanne, make sure she's ok." She nodded and helped the girl to her feet, walking with her back the way we came. They moved out, heading through another hallway. They opened up to another meeting hall with Cerberus troops; however, they were not alone. A familiar face was pushing them back as students looked on. As the Biotic slammed them into the wall, Sven and Sam put three shots into each of them, garnering the attention of the Biotic, she spoke with surprise.

"Shepard?" She began to walk towards them as an Atlas mech walked into the room, firing at students. It turned to a student who froze in fear but Jack's barrier came up just in time to stop it from obliterating the student. Shepard shouted.

"Get to cover! Swarm it with Disruptor ammo then burn the armor off with Inferno ammo!" There were nods and firing ensued. Jack used this time to move her students to the upper level. The mech flashed as its shields were drained from the constant fire and Shepard screamed out again. "Liara, channel your warp!" She nodded and stood, thrusting her hands out. The mech began to quiver and shake as the armor was ripped, bent, and burned. The left cannon burned off, falling to the floor in a hunk of molten metal as the canopy shattered. They turned their attention to the driver who became riddled with bullets, eventually bursting into flames. Liara kept channeling the warp, devastating the mech. The goliath fell and Naomi whistled.

"Remind me never to piss her off." Garrus and James nodded. Jack shouted from atop the balcony.

"I see the King of the Boy Scouts is making new friends. Had no idea you'd show up when Kahlee put out the SOS." She turned to the students and began pointing and shouting. "Prangley! Those fields were pathetic! You think Cerberus is gonna lie down and die for you?" She flicked his forehead like a dog and shouted to the rest of the group. "Check your amps; grab some juice and an energy bar. We're moving out in five." Without another word, she leapt down to Shepard, using her Biotics to soften the landing. She walked up and delivered a solid right to Shepard's chin. Sam and his team readied their weapons at her while Garrus and Liara chuckled. She turned to Sam. "Another Boy Scout? Just what I need." Sam stared ahead in confusion. She waved her hand dismissively and turned back to Shepard. "What did I tell you about trusting Cerberus?" Shepard stared ahead, rubbing his jaw.

"You're not telling me anything I haven't already said to myself." Garrus quipped.

"Glad to see you haven't changed Jack." She smirked and looked at him.

"Nice to see you too Garrus, face still looks like shit though." He laughed as did everyone else. She looked back to Shepard. "Right now, all I care about is getting my guys out of here Shepard." Shepard smirked.

"Never pegged you for a teacher Jack." Liara spoke up.

"Yes, it is interesting." Jack crossed her arms over her chest.

"Alliance set me up here while you went and did whatever you did." She spoke louder. "Apparently I have a teaching style that fits these guys nicely." On cue, Prangley spoke up.

"The Psychotic Biotic!" A dark haired Hispanic girl nodded and shouted as well.

"I will destroy you!" Jack turned back to her.

"Drink your juice Rodriguez; you couldn't destroy a wet paper bag." Shepard's coms beeped and he put a hand to his ear. It was Steve.

"Commander, you've got 2 minutes before getting back is impossible." Shepard clenched his fists and nodded.

"Understood Steve, get back to the ship. We'll find another way off of here." Shepard signed off and called Sanders. "Kahlee, the students are safe but the shuttles are a no go." She sighed and EDI spoke up through the coms.

"The Atrium is the fastest way through the facility, but Cerberus forces have the doors sealed. Scans are showing the mag locks are above the door Commander." Shepard nodded and shouted out.

"Someone release those mag locks and we're moving out!" Seconds later the indicator above the door was green and they gathered by the door. "Alright, we'll go in and draw fire; you all go and hit them from above." Jack nodded as everyone's omni-tool blinked up. The Cerberus announcer spoke of how they would be safe if they surrendered. Shepard spoke. "EDI, block that signal now!" Everyone turned to him. "Cerberus will not help you; they will execute you or torture you. Stay with us and we'll get you home." There were nods and Jack looked back, nodding as they headed upstairs. The next room was massive, with multiple Atlas mechs and plenty of Troopers and Centurions. Shepard shouted out to them. "Split up and pick them off! Garrus I want you and Sven dropping those Centurions." They nodded and Sam spoke up.

"Naomi, cover them. Damian you're with me and Shepard holding the middle. James and Liara start hitting those mechs." Don't be stingy with grenades, we need the crowd control." There were nods and moving bodies as everyone took their positions. Garrus and Sven dropped the Centurions quickly from their high vantage point. Blood and sweat pooled on the battlefield as biotic strikes came from Jack and her team. Sam tossed out grenades and was accurate with his shots. Shepard put pot shots into the mechs when they focused too much on one person. Soon the hall was a mess of twisted steel and broken bodies. They formed up, checking for injuries. Shepard called over coms.

"Everyone ok up there?" Jack replied.

"Yea, everyone's good. Rodriguez took one in the arm but she'll live." Shepard nodded and continued to move, calling Kahlee. "We're making our way to the Cerberus shuttles now, are you there?" She responded.

"Yes I am. However Cerberus knows what's going on and are pulling back." Shepard nodded and moved with his team to another hall. This time though, three Cerberus troops were talking to two students behind a barrier, oblivious to the fight that just occurred. Liara sent singularity out, catching all three as the rest of them dispatched the Troopers. The students dropped the barrier and fell to their knees. Shepard helped them to their feet and they thanked him. He motioned above him.

"The other students are on the next floor, we're getting you all out of here." They nodded and hustled away. Moving forward, they passed through more doors until they spotted an engineer working on an unoccupied Atlas. They dispatched him and Shepard hopped into the Atlas, booting it up. Damian frowned.

"How come I can't pilot the mech?" Sam snickered.

"We barely trust you with a gun, let alone a mech with missiles." This got a laugh from the whole crew as they moved out behind Shepard in his mech. Cerberus troops had engaged the students as they hustled to the shuttles. Shepard opened up with the chain gun, mowing down troops left and right as the rest of them picked off stragglers. Troops poured in from the top floor and Shepard turned to deal with them. Ground forces were annihilated quickly by the mech and subsequent gun fire. All was going well until another Atlas ambled in. More troops entered and they would soon be overwhelmed. That was until Marcus appeared from the other side of the room with a grenade launcher. He fired into the crowds, killing multiple Troopers and Centurions with each blast. He looked at home as he fired, Patel was covering him as EDI was disrupting coms and sent out tech powers. With the other Atlas distracted, Shepard turned his attention to it and finished it off quickly. Jack sounded off.

"Shepard! We're clear. Get out of there before backup shows." Shepard nodded and covered his team with the Atlas. More troops cascaded in as he hustled to the Shuttles. The doors closed and they were off, Marcus still had a wicked smile as he produced a detonator. He threw it into the air, flipping it. It landed and he pressed the button, the shuttle bay rocked with explosions as they ran away, causing cheers to erupt everywhere. Shepard smiled and called Joker.

"We're coming out Joker in a Cerberus shuttle. Watch your fire." Joker replied.

"Got your sensor now, I know which one you guys are." He said with sarcasm. Kahlee looked to Shepard.

"Thank you Commander, we'd all have died if not for you." Jack spoke next.

"F—Forget that. You guys kicked ass. Next stop you're all getting inked. What are you guys thinking? Ascension project log? Glowing fist? Maybe a unicorn for Rodriguez?" Everyone was laughing as Sam and his team retracted their arm armor, showing the Grim Reaper with a combat helmet on and rifle instead of a scythe. Marcus's held a detonator in hand and he spoke.

"Y'all can finally join the club." More laughter ensued. Kahlee spoke again.

"I'm still shocked we made it out. I was going to suggest these guys remain in support but maybe they're ready for the front lines." Shepard thought for a moment, turning to Jack, then to his team. He spoke.

"You're definitely ready but we need more support roles. Grunts like us need your help to stay alive." Prangley spoke up.

"Come on, Commander. We're needed up front." Sam spoke next.

"The front lines suck anyway guys, no sleep, no food, no glory. The frontlines are casualty markers. Stay in support and kick back when all this is over, you'll hit it big in the movies." They perked up at this and Jack smiled. Joker spoke up.

"Docking you guys now Commander. Hey Jack, now that you're in the Alliance now, are you gonna wear a uniform or just tattoo your rank on?" There were snickers as they awaited Jack's response.

Screw you f—flight lieutenant." Joker was taken aback.

"What the hell was that Jack? Are you even Jack?" Kahlee replied.

"Jack promised to watch her language to maintain an image of professionalism among the teaching staff." Joker just started laughing and mocking Jack. She looked to her students.

"Cover your ears kids." She smiled and spoke again. "Fuck you Joker." He sighed and spoke again.

"Glad to see you back Jack." She smirked and looked around.

"Good to be back fuck boy."

**Just a quick question for you all, would you like to see Javik in this story? I'm stuck as to put him in or not. Put an answer in the review or message me if you'd like. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and as always, may fortune favor you all. **


	7. Diplomacy

**A/N: Well, this is just a small chapter, filler mostly but I liked it, I hope you guys do too. Remember to review, it only helps. May fortune favor you all.**

Shepard stood at the Holocom, arms folded as Anderson appeared in front of his. He looked bad, like he hadn't slept in days. He was covered in dirt and grime, his uniform had rips and tears along the arms and chest. Anderson smirked as he saw Shepard.

"Damned if you aren't a sight for sore eyes Shepard." Shepard returned the smile and replied.

"You look like hell Anderson, but alive at least." He laughed and lifted his hat, running his hand through his short mass of thinning hair.

"Heard about Grissom Academy, damn fine work John. Don't even wanna think about what would've happened to them if Cerberus got a hold of them." Shepard nodded.

"They're eager to help." Anderson shook his head.

"These kids are some of the best humanity has to offer and we're throwing them into this meat grinder." He sighed and looked back to Shepard. "I hate this damn war John." Shepard nodded, exhaling. "Hackett didn't say in the report…. But is Kahlee ok?" The end of Shepard's mouth curled up and he spoke.

"She's fine Anderson, with the students now." Anderson visibly relaxed.

"Thanks Shepard, I've lost enough friends already. We all have." He turned around and nodded. "As a thank you, I… diverted a couple crates of N7 weapons to you, think of it as a thank you." Shepard smiled and nodded.

"I appreciate it Anderson, can only use Avengers and such for so long." Anderson nodded and spoke.

"One last thing Shepard, Ms. Chambers wanted to talk to her team if she could. He grinned and brought up his wrist.

"Sam, get up to the War Room and bring your team. Rose wants to talk." The reply was nearly instant.

"On our way Shepard." He nodded and Rose stepped into the Holocom. Shepard took her in, she was gorgeous, like that of a model. Even covered in dirt and grime she was good to look at. She smiled at him with her rifle on her shoulder.

"Nice to see you again Commander." He bowed his head.

"You too Rose." She blew a stray strand of hair from her face before speaking.

"I'll tell ya Shepard, these bastards are tough but nothing me and Anderson can't handle. I'm glad to see things aren't that different then back in the early 2000's; still, I miss home. This place…. Feels like a good copy but it's off in some ways." He nodded and turned as he heard the scuffling of boots behind him. In ran all of Sam's team, eager to see their friend. Shepard stepped out to give them some privacy. He spoke into his coms.

"Joker, take us to the Citadel." Joker confirmed and began to set a course

"ETA is two hours Boss." Shepard nodded and walked to the elevator, taking it down to Engineering, the only place he hadn't explored yet since the _Normandy's_ retrofit. The elevator was slow but he liked the quiet. The door opened and he heard familiar bickering.

"You're a pig Ken, you know that?" There was a scoff and then a reply.

"Of Course, Gabby. It's part of my charm." Shepard smiled as the doors to engineering opened and he saw them staring intently at their terminals. His smile grew as he noticed he hadn't been spotted and crept up on them. When he was but inches behind them he raised his foot and stomped his boot, shouting.

"CAPTAIN ON DECK!" There was a shout of pure terror as Donnelly turned, Gabby, to her credit, only jumped and saluted immediately as Ken hit the ground. She frowned when she saw Shepard.

"Really, Commander?" He smirked and looked to Ken who still lay curled up in a ball on the ground, eyes closed. Shepard put a hand out and helped Ken to his feet. He spoke.

"Aye Commander, was that necessary?" To his left, Shepard heard a laugh.

"To see you scream like my daughter Ken? Of course it was." Engineer Adams had to hold onto the railing to keep from collapsing in laughter. Shepard shared a laugh with Adams before walking over and giving the man a hug, clapping him on the back.

"It's good to have you back Adams." He nodded and replied.

"It's good to be back Shepard." He sighed and looked at the ground before continuing. "Listen, Commander. I'm…. I'm sorry that I didn't follow you. When Karrin and Joker messaged me saying that you'd be back thanks to Cerberus, I just couldn't believe it. I failed you Commander and I'm sorry." Shepard put a hand on his shoulder.

"Greg, it's ok. I get why you didn't and in your position I probably would've done the same thing as you. But that's all in the past Adams; we focus on the present on this ship." He smirked as he finished his sentence and Adams met his gaze and returned his smile. He saluted and walked back to his post, Shepard turned to Donnelly and Gabby. "Glad you two got posted here, wouldn't be the same without you two." Donnelly nodded.

"When we heard the _Normandy _was going back out, we insisted that we be back as well, Commander." Gabby scoffed.

"You shoulda seen him Commander; he got into a lot of fights with the brass over you and your lockdown. Even decked a Captain who said something he shouldn't have." Donnelly blushed slightly as gabby continued. "I wasn't quiet myself, but you know how Ken is Commander." He smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, both of you. I can't overstate how glad I am that you're both back." He saluted them and returned to the elevator.

Shepard stepped off the ship with the whole crew in tow. There was a hustle and bustle among them as they all spoke to one another and Shepard was in a good mood. He moved out towards the elevator and they piled in. Their first stop was the Refugee Camp that had been set up by the Council. All but Shepard exited with plans to help the refugees however they could and Shepard nodded to them all the elevator took him to Huerta Memorial.

The doors opened and he hustled out, making a bee line to Ashley's room. He tapped his foot impatiently as doors opened slowly, doctors and patients sputtered past him but he paid them no mind. More doors barricaded his path and he waited as Ash's room stared in front of him. He halted, collecting himself when he heard voices ringing out inside. The doors opened and revealed Udina talking to Ash. He stood at the edge of her bed with his hands behind his back; Ash was lying up in an elevated position in her bed. She was still bruised all to hell but looked good all things considered.

"I'd like an answer lieutenant commander. The galaxy needs soldiers of your caliber, now more than ever." She winced, sitting up and giving her reply.

"I'm still going over it Councilor, but I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I make my decision." Udina nodded and turned to walk out, running into Shepard. The two men nodded at one another as Udina exited the room, leaving them alone. Shepard smiled at her and she returned it as much as she could with the pain she was in. He reached out and took her hand.

"It's good to see you Ash." She squeezed lightly.

"You too Skipper." Shepard pulled up a chair and sat next to her, still gripping her hand.

"Word on the street is that you're gonna be the second human Specter, congrats on that." He smiled and she grimaced, Shepard cocked his head in confusion. She spoke.

"It's not that easy, Skipper. It's an honor, no doubt, but I feel like I need to think it over some more. It's a big responsibility and all that jazz. I mean hell; I' m not even an N7. Am I even qualified?" Shepard intertwined their fingers.

"You're more than qualified Ash, one of the best soldiers I've ever worked with, better than most N7's. You think on your feet, quick with decisions, calculated in those decisions and always get the job done, that's what being an N7 is all about, Specter too." She sighed and looked out the window that sat on her left.

"The nurse said you dropped by earlier, left that Tennyson collection as well." She turned back to him. "That was sweet and very much appreciated by the way. I've been climbing the walls around here looking for something to do." Shepard grinned.

"Anytime. So, how've you been feeling?" She tried to sit up, Shepard offered to help but she refused, eventually getting it on her own.

"Sore, very very sore. And bored. The injuries were bad but not terrible so basically I've been stuck in bed with nothing to do but read Tennyson, don't get me wrong, it's great but you can only read for so long, right?" Shepard nodded. "Listen… John. I want to talk about what happened back on Mars." Shepard rested his free hand under his chin and looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "I'm… sorry about what I said. Now I see that you're still the same John Buchanan Shepard I know and love. I believe you cut all ties with Cerberus." Shepard nodded and sighed in relief, happy that she finally believed him. "But we're still a thing, right Shepard? I mean what with all that's going on right now, should we still be together?" Shepard kissed her hand and spoke.

"I'm not going anywhere Ash; I couldn't do this without you." She smiled, shining and bright.

"I can't tell you how badly I wanted you to say that John." She squeezed his hand again and shifted, sitting up even higher. "I needed something good like that after what's been going on." He nodded and stood up.

"I need to get back to it all Ash but I'm a call away should you need anything." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. She stopped him.

"Wait John, there was one more thing. You know about my mom and sisters back on Earth." John sat back down again.

"I'll call in some favors, try and get them somewhere safe, deal?" She nodded profusely.

"Thanks Skipper, I owe you." He smirked.

"More than one LC. Speaking of which, when did that happen?" She laughed and replied.

"Seems like that Williams Curse is cracking, was sure I'd top out at Gunny. I probably have you to thank for that." She grinned at him.

"You earned it Ash, you work hard and, if I may say, look damn good doing it." She snorted a laugh.

"You're a pig, you know that." Shepard began to snort and oink like the aforementioned animal. She kept smiling, something that Shepard never got tired of. He stopped his impression and looked into her muddy brown eyes. He asked.

"Why didn't you try to contact me while I was in lockup Ash? I was going crazy in there with no one to talk to, never sure if you were even still alive." She looked away from him, back to the window and the passing sky cars.

"I… I couldn't face you after what I said on Horizon. Even when Anderson asked me to meet up, I struggled. I regret what I said John, I really do." He patted her hand and spoke.

"All's well LC, the past is the past and we're all good now." She exhaled.

"It's gonna be a while before it's all done with Skipper." He smirked.

"Better hustle up then Williams, Reapers don't take naps." She laughed and looked back at him. Shepard traced his thumb along the back of her hand.

"You mentioned family still on Earth, whose there?" She expelled a breath.

"Mom and the Hellions. Sarah, you remember her right? Well she was on her honeymoon with her new hubby Thomas. He's an Alliance guy too. When he got called to the fight, she was alone. We talked a lot; it's been rough on her. Growing up I was always there, even while stationed they knew they could call and talk to me. I asked her to meet me here at the Citadel so we could catch up and wait for news together." Shepard nodded.

"Do I get the privilege of meeting this sister?" He said with a smirk. She laughed and squeezed his hand as he kept staring into her eyes. Reluctantly, Shepard looked back and noticed the clock; it was time to get back.

"I gotta go Ash but I'll be back soon, I promise." He leaned in and kissed her softly and began to walk to the door. As he did, he heard a whistle and laughed as the door closed behind him. Shepard walked out into the waiting room and saw someone familiar. A Drell standing in front of the window, watching the hustle and bustle of the Citadel. He made his way to the Drell and stood next to him.

"Thane, it's good to see you again." The Drell turned to him and let a small smile pass his lips.

"Commander Shepard, the feeling is mutual." He stuck out his hand and Shepard took it immediately before pulling the dying Drell in for a quick hug.

"You look good for a dying man Thane." He nodded and bounced on his feet.

"Thank you, with a healthy lifestyle, I can ward off Kepral's Syndrome for years. However, that time should've passed by now so it's more or less something to occupy my time." He looked quizzically to Shepard. "What brings you Huerta, Commander?" He pointed a thumb behind him to Ash's room.

"I was visiting Ash; she got pretty banged up on a mission." He put a hand to his chin.

"Dark haired human with substantial bruising?" Shepard nodded. "Ahh yes, she's started in my physical therapy class. I assume she is someone special to you Commander?" Shepard nodded again. Thane nodded as well. "If that is the case than I will help her however I can, she is now under my protection." Shepard put a hand on Thane's shoulder.

"Thank you Thane, she means a lot to me." He put his hands behind his back and spoke.

"Death is close for me Shepard; it is a good time to be generous." Thane gestured with his head to a set of chairs to their right and they took them, still talking.

"How've you been Thane?" He sighed and looked out to the Citadel Skyway.

"It has been alright, all things considered. The time frames for life I was given have been inconsistent to say the least. My favorite doctor though said I had but three months to live…nine months ago. However, it is freeing not knowing how much time I have left. I have no real responsibilities or fears; it is a good end to a life." Shepard nodded and followed his gaze.

"Does it hurt, Thane?" He was silent for a second but replied.

"Sometimes, I experience shortness of breath and dizziness at the best of times. At worst, I faint of pass out and require day to day doctor visits." Shepard stood up, placing a hand on Thane's shoulder again.

"I wish the best for you Thane." He nodded and looked to Shepard.

"And I for you Commander, but do not grieve me, my son visits regularly. I will keep in contact Shepard, until next time." Shepard nodded and walked out of Huerta Memorial. He took the elevator to the refugee camp and wandered about, noticing his crew helping wherever possible. Garrus was coordinating with other Turians and Sam and his team was running small errors around the Citadel. Shepard walked over to Garrus and nodded to him.

"How're the Turians holding out?" he shook his head and leaned against the wall.

"We're not, not really anyway. We're losing whole platoons at a time, nearly ten per Reaper." Shepard shook his head.

"Not even a war anymore…" Garrus nodded and Shepard spoke again. "Any word from your dad or Solana?" He shook his head again.

"Nothing yet but I'm holding out hope. What about you? How's Ash?" Shepard sighed and crossed his arms.

"I've been better Garrus, things are rough and it's taking its toll. But Ash is ok, all things considered." Garrus nodded.

"Don't get too bogged down Shepard, remember to come up for air from time to time." He said with a smirk as Shepard walked away, back to the ship.

Shepard was dreading meeting with diplomats. He called out to Joker.

"Joker, set a course for the Annos Basin, we're going to play politician today." He heard a sigh.

"Aww come on Commander, I hate politicians." Shepard nodded.

"Me too Joker but we need this so be on your best behavior." Joker harrumphed and set a course as Shepard went up to change into his best dress blues.

As Shepard walked out of his room in his finest uniform, Traynor messaged him alerting him that the Salarian Dalatrass and Krogan Clan Chief were ready to board, Shepard told them to meet in the conference room with the Primarch until Shepard could get there. The elevator could not go any slower as he waited, eventually the doors opened and he walked on. He walked into an argument that had already started. The Dalatrass was speaking and pointing fingers to the Krogan who had his back turned. However, the armor was recognizable and Shepard hustled.

"The Krogan is in no position to make demands of us!" The Krogan slammed his hand into the table and roared.

"The Krogan has a name; Urdnot Wrex and we are not some animal that you can let off a leash whenever you need something dead." Shepard smiled.

"Wrex! It's been too long." He turned and saw Shepard, smiled and put his hand out.

"Shepard! You've gotten more scars since our last meeting. Good, you're still fighting worthy foes." He turned back to the Dalatrass and then to the Primarch. "Give me a reason to care if the Turians go extinct." To his credit, the Primarch remained cool headed and kept his arms behind his back.

"Just tell us what you want Wrex, I'm sure we can come to an agreement." Wrex laughed and set his hands on the table, Shepard knew where this was going.

"I need a cure for the Genophage." His eyes narrowed at the Dalatrass and her eyes widened. She made a dismissive gesture with her hand shook her head.

"There is no way in the galaxy that is going to happen. The Genophage is nonnegotiable." Shepard sighed and held his head.

"Why Dalatrass? What are you concerns?" She looked to Shepard.

"We lifted the Krogan so we know them best. They're only good at war, which is what we trained them to be good at." Primarch Victus spoke next.

"What do you think this is Dalatrass? A skirmish? We're talking full galactic extinction here!" The Dalatrass replied.

"And what of after? The Krogan would conquer the galaxy." Shepard interjected.

"If they don't help, there'll be no galaxy Dalatrass. Why can't you get that?" Before she could reply, the Primarch spoke.

"Enough! Even if we all agreed, it would still take years to form a cure." Wrex shook his head and looked to Shepard.

"You recall Maelon's work, don't you Shepard?" Shepard nodded. "Well, despite his brutal tactics, some of his experiments on our females were useful." He brought up a video on the Holocom in the center of the table. The video showed someone running around and taking video of a Salarian research lab. "Since some were a success, the Dalatrass here had a team round them all up and clean up the mess. She took them prisoner." Everyone turned to the Dalatrass who was sweating and twitching.

"Where did you get this? It could be a fabrication!" Shepard was furious and drew his sidearm, angling it at the Dalatrass's head.

"You took innocents as prisoner unjustly and relegated them to torture. Under galactic law and Specter authority, I can execute you right here Dalatrass. Give me one reason I don't." The room was dead silent.

"We… we can help you with the Prothean device Commander." Shepard fumed but put his weapon down.

"You're not worth the bullet Dalatrass. Now, where are the females?" She held her head.

"They're on an STG base on Sur'kesh." Wrex nodded.

"Let's go get them Shepard." The Dalatrass slammed her hand into the table.

"You will not set one foot Sur'kesh! Not until you go through the proper channels." The Primarch shook his head.

"As a Specter, Shepard can oversee the exchange." They began to file out and she kept ranting.

"I won't forget this Commander. But what else can be expected of the Butcher of Bahak. More strong-arm bully tactics." Shepard clenched his fists and Wrex shook his head.

"Not here Shepard." He looked to the old Krogan and nodded as they walked off. He called to his coms.

"Ground team, ready up. We're going to talk to Sur'kesh. Joker, plot a course on the double.

He took the elevator back up and dressed in his N7 Armor. It felt good, almost like home compared to that stuff suit he was in. Shepard took the elevator down to the Shuttle Bay to check out his new weapons, with luck he wouldn't have to use them. However, Shepard didn't hold his breath.


End file.
